


Here Is Sanctuary

by calikocat



Series: Alpha Harris AU Collection [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf (TV), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alpha Harris Fusion AU, Alpha Talia, Alpha Xander, F/M, Gen, Hyena Kids are werewolves, M/M, Sophia Lives, Sunnydale Pack, The Hale Pack - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-10 21:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8940364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calikocat/pseuds/calikocat
Summary: “Find Alexander and his wolves.”  They all turned to look back at Jim in confusion, he kept on speaking, “They'll keep you all safe.  The dead can't get you if you run with the wolves.”  His eyes cleared and he smiled.  “Good luck.”





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note 1: I ended up with such horrible writer's block on Dragon Verse, specifically Best Course of Action, From the Ground Up, and Unexpected that I had to take a break from them. That led to me falling into the Walking Dead fandom. @_@;;; And then I started to fall in love with the characters...specifically Daryl and Glenn. And then I had all these different ideas how Wolfy Xander and his pack would handle a zombie apocalypse...and then I thought of Daryl/Xander and my brain just about died of happiness. I don't know it just happened. So here's an Alpha Harris AU fic for you.
> 
> Note 2: So this is a fusion AU. The Scoobies and Pack get to have their prom...then the dead start to rise...again. It’s 2011. Xander and the pack are in their senior year of high school so most of them are 18 (Oz is obviously 19). Stiles is like 4 and Derek is 7-8. Like I said, Fusion AU.

Here is Sanctuary  
calikocat

Word count: 1364

XXX

A scream ripped from her throat as terror gripped her tight; rotting hands reaching for her, reaching for her husband and son. There was gnashing teeth and dead eyes coming for them all with a hunger for the living that only the dead could possess. She fought and tried to call up her magic to keep them at bay, but there was nothing...her power didn't answer...which meant one thing.

She was dreaming.

Another scream was torn from her as she sat up in the dark, covered in cold sweat, and the sheet wrapped and tangled around her. Movement beside her on the bed made her shriek again and she fell off the bed, scrambling for the baton she kept under it. Her hand wrapped around the base and she flicked it so it extended while she readied herself for battle.

The lamp on the other side of the bed clicked on and John stared at her with wide, blinking, shocked eyes. “Claudia?” Her own eyes watered and the collapsible baton fell from her hand as she sobbed. John was off the bed and taking her into his arms in just a couple of seconds. “Honey? Claudia what is it?”

All she could do was cry for the longest time. She has had warning dreams before, and moments of clarity, as part of her magic and second sight...but never had her dreams been so intense. John held her tight and rocked her, which only helped for the moment; it wouldn't do anything for them in the long run. She knew it, could feel it, and if they were going to survive they had to move. Now.

“We need to call Talia, and we need to pack.”

John pulled back from her with a frown. “What?”

“Something bad is coming; we have to get out of Beacon Hills. We have to get to Sunnydale.”

“Sweetheart, you're not making any sense.”

“John, something bad is going to happen.”

“How bad?”

Her words wouldn't come for a moment… How do you tell your husband that you had a dream about being attacked by zombies? A dream that would come true, and the only safety to be had was in the company of werewolves.

“Mommy?”

Their eyes met for a moment before turning to look at their son. Claudia managed to find her words, “Hey kid.”

His eyes were red from crying, haunted the way hers must be. “I had a bad dream.”

Ice shot through her heart and she bit back a sob. “What kind of dream Kostek?”

“Dead people were trying to eat us.”

Tears spilled down her cheeks and he ran to them, crawling into her lap, and she wrapped her arms around their little boy. “We have to leave John. Call Talia, tell her Kostek and I had the same dream. It won't be safe here much longer.”

“Claudia, what are you talking about?”

“The virus, John. The one on the news?”

He blinked. “The new flu strain? The one that makes people feral?”

“It’s going to spread.”

“How far?”

She swallowed her fear as it rose up in her throat. “Everywhere.”

John made the call, and Talia was there in minutes. Claudia went over it all again, this time in detail. Kostek nodded along, confirming he had indeed had the same dream. John was still skeptical, but then he was still adjusting to the supernatural side of things. Talia, however, took the dream very seriously and agreed that they needed to start packing. She left to go wake her family up so they could do the same.

When it was just them again they put Kostek on the couch and he fell back asleep. Claudia started the coffee pot and got dressed before getting out their suitcases and duffel bags for their clothes, her tools, and herbs. John dressed as well, still skeptical, but he got the camping gear out of the garage and put it in the back of his truck. There were other things to be found and added to the luggage - candles, matches, lamp oil, and extra lanterns. He almost left it at that, but then Claudia looked pointedly at the gun cabinet in the study. Reluctantly he got the guns out, one by one, and the boxes of ammo. Claudia raided their pantry for food and started filling their travel jugs with water.

It was well after dawn when she started making calls to the few witches and practitioners she kept in touch with. A few heeded her words that something was coming. Others were more skeptical, like John. One, who was jealous of her power, hung up on her and Claudia had a feeling the woman wouldn't last long.

Finally they got Kostek up, dressed, and fed before they let him take a few things from his room. Things he couldn't leave behind. They did the same, grabbing a few sentimental pieces, including pictures.

Then they climbed in John's truck, the two of them in the front and Kostek in the back of the king cab, and headed for the Hales.

 

Talia's station wagon and Elden's SUV were already packed when they got there; Seth's car seat buckled up in the backseat of the wagon. There was no sign of the Hale Pack outside. Once they entered the house, however, showed the Hale children piled up on the couch, all drowsy with sleep, dressed and ready to go.

Peter, however, was glaring at them and whining. “I can't believe we're doing this because the kid had a nightmare.”

Talia rolled her eyes. “Claudia and Stiles had the same nightmare Peter. Mother and child, both with magic, whatever is coming is real.”

Claudia managed to smile at her friend. Ever since Xander had told her son that his name, Kostek Stilinski, had style...he'd wanted to be called Stiles. Talia had respected that, as had the rest of her pack.

Talia turned red eyes to her, on edge and she had every right to be. “Derek wants to ride with Stiles.”

Kostek gave a shout of glee, awake for the moment, “Road Trip!”

John nodded. “That's fine. Derek, help Kostek get back in truck?”

Derek roused grumpily, eyes flickering gold; before he took their son's hand and led him back outside to their truck, backpack over his shoulder.

Talia continued to speak once the boys were outside. “Peter and Seth will be in the station wagon with me. Laura and Cora will be in the SUV with Elden, will you be in the lead of this caravan?”

John looked to Claudia and she nodded. “We will...tell me you're packing weapons.”

Talia frowned. “Elden has a rifle. That's the only gun we have.”

“We'll need more. Not right away, but we will need them. Everyone will need a weapon of some kind. We can stock up in Sunnydale.”

Peter finally stopped glaring. “We're going to Sunnydale?”

Talia smirked at her little brother. “Didn't I mention that part?”

He grinned, grabbed his own backpack, and headed toward the door, happy with the prospect of seeing Heidi again. “Come on, what are we waiting for?”

All of them, the adults, shared a nervous laugh and put the last of the Hale's supplies in their vehicles and got the kids situated as well. Then John pulled away from the house first and started down the long driveway.

“Back roads. Keep to the back roads.” Claudia told him.

“Okay.” His skepticism was fading, which was good. She needed him at his best.

The end of the world was coming...and no one would be able to stop it...

“We'll make it.” Kostek said, sleep already starting to pull him under again. “If we're with Xander we'll make it.”

She nodded, eyes watering and chest tight. “I know. We'll be safe with the White Knight.”

John gave her a look but kept driving...and Derek stayed quiet in the back...already fast asleep. It would take a few days to reach Sunnydale...but it would be worth the drive. Because Kostek was right. If their group was with Xander's, they'd all survive.

XXX


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Remember this is a Fusion AU, so it’s the start of the Zombie Apocalypse...but Xander and the others are in their senior year of high school. None of the Beacon Hills group made it into this chapter, it focuses on Sunnydale. It will be a while before anyone from The Walking Dead makes an appearance.

Here is Sanctuary  
calikocat

Word count: 5099

Chapter 1

XXX

“I can't believe that didn't work!”

Buffy raised a dainty brow at him. “What do you mean?”

He gestured to the zombie they'd just killed. “Decapitating it should have worked.”

“We've dealt with zombies before Xan, remember my coming home party? We had to the take out the magical death mask that was raising them.”

“Yeah, but then Oz and I had to take out Jack O'Toole and his buddies. Cutting off limbs didn't stop them, but taking the head did.”

“You never did tell me what you did with the bodies.”

He shrugged. “We dug a grave, put the pieces in, burned them, and filled in the grave.” He nudged the head on the ground; it was harmless now that they'd bashed it in. “We may have an entirely new kind of zombie on our hands. O'Toole and his buddies could still talk. All this guy wanted to do was eat us...none of the other zombies have tried to do that.”

“Didn't Giles say one time that zombies didn't eat people?” She asked him.

“Yeah, back when Chris and creepy camera guy were trying to make a lady friend for Chris' brother.”

“So if zombies don't eat people...”

“Giles could be wrong.” They shared an amused look and shook their heads. “Nah.”

They stared at the body and crushed head again then Buffy spoke. “So do we burn it?”

“Yeah. I think so; we're not far from Willow's. Her parents keep a gas can full for the neighbor's kid that mows their lawn for them.” He made a face.

“What?”

“I just realized that Willow might want to take some samples for research.”

Buffy gagged a little. “I didn't need that thought in my head.”

“Sorry.”

“Want me to stay with the body?” She asked. “You can run faster without me.”

“You sure?”

She nodded. “I'll be fine.”

“Watch your back Buff, and go for the brain if you see another one.” He left her there and ran as fast as he could to Willow's house. Oz's van was in the driveway, and the living room lights were on.

He knocked on the door and Willow and Oz answered it together. “Xander?” Her eyes landed on the blood on his shirt. “You okay?”

“It’s not his blood.” Oz made a face at the smell. “Smells like zombie.”

“Yeah...Buffy and I ran into one of the shambling dead on patrol. Think I could borrow your gas can Wills?”

“Gonna burn the body?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I come-?” Willow started to say, but he didn't let her finish.

“Yeah, get your specimen jar thingies.”

She grinned and ran back to her room to retrieve the kit she'd put together for her supernatural investigations. Their redheaded witch was a scientist at heart and wanted to understand the world around her, especially the supernatural part of it. She came back with a tackle box filled with all sorts of scientist-y things.

Xander and Oz shared a grin. “Come on CSI Willows. We have a crime to solve.”

She rolled her eyes and gave him the key to the garage. “Cute.”

Oz got the van started and Xander retrieved the gas can; glad to find it full and climbed in the back of the van as Willow had called shotgun. He told Oz where he'd left Buffy and the body, and they took off in that direction.

When they got there there was just a body on the grass but no Buffy in sight. Xander jumped out of the van and listened, breathing easier when he heard her familiar footfalls and heartbeat. “Buff?”

She emerged from the bushes, wiping her hands on her jeans. “Got jumped by another one... Same behavior. It kept trying to bite me.”

He looked down at the corpse, it wasn't the one they'd killed; this one's head was still attached...but smashed in. “Definitely the brain huh?”

“Yeah.”

Xander handed the gas can to Oz before he dragged the body, following Buffy back into the bushes and then past them, to where she'd left the first corpse. He put them side by side and looked at Willow. “Take whatever samples you need, Wills. Then we're burning them.”

“Okie dokie.” She put down her kit and opened it to retrieve a mask and gloves, which she promptly put on, before pulling out baggies, petrie dishes, a scalpel and tweezers. Then she got to work.

They watched in morbid fascination as she cut bits and pieces of flesh, hair, nails, and even pulled a couple of teeth. The very last thing she did was draw some blood. Then she was bagging her used gloves and mask and closing her box. “All done.” 

Oz handed the gas back to Xander and he poured it over the bodies, pausing when he saw the bite on the second zombie's left arm. “Hey Buff.”

“Yeah?”

“Did the first one have any bites?”

“No...”

“This one does.”

The four of them shared a look, and worry crossed Willow's face for the first time. “What does that mean?”

Xander shook his head. “I don't know, but it can't be good.” He stood again and finished dousing the bodies. “Oz?”

Oz pulled out a matchbook, lit a match, and let it fall. They stood back and watched the bodies catch fire for a moment before Xander handed the gas can back to Oz.

“So... now what?” Willow asked.

“Do your CSI thing and let us know what you find out.” He glanced from Willow to Oz. “Stay with her?”

Oz nodded and he led Willow back to the van. Buffy stayed and they watched the fire for a few more minutes. “What are you thinking?”

“We need to talk to Giles.”

xxx

Talking to Giles was not as helpful as they'd hoped.

“It can't be zombies, Xander. They don't eat the flesh of the living. You've seen that for yourself. The ones at the party were just bent on killing everyone, and the gang you and Oz dispatched were focused on having fun and setting off a bomb.”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Giles.”

“Flesh eating zombies are a fabrication of the movie industry.”

“Giles, if it walks like a zombie and smells like a zombie, it’s a zombie, and these zombies are chompy.”

“Taking off the head didn't work Giles.” Buffy told him. “Xander ripped its head off and it still kept trying to bite us.”

“Oh...well...” He took off his glasses and polished them. “I suppose I'll put a call in to the Council in a few hours.”

“Why not now?” Buffy asked. “I mean this could be something totally new.”

“Buffy, London is eight hours ahead of us. Its only 5 a.m. there.”

“Oh.”

“The best thing to do now is turn in for the night. I trust the two of you will be careful going home?”

“Yeah. We will.”

xxx

Xander walked Buffy home, all the way to her front door, where she turned to give him an apprehensive look. “Still have a bad feeling?”

“Yeah. You?”

“My spidey sense is going haywire.” 

“Something in the house?”

She shook her head. “Something bad is coming...”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow?”

“Unless Mom brought home that weird flu that's been going around.”

He grinned. “I'm so glad werewolves don't get the flu.”

Buffy rolled her eyes and laughed. “Night Xan.”

He nodded and headed down the steps, he had a ways to walk to get back to Tor's house. Footsteps made him pause and he saw Faith coming toward him. “Everything okay?”

She shook her head as she reached him. “Ran into something weird tonight.”

“How weird?”

“You guys dealt with zombies’ right? Before and after I got here?”

Xander blinked. “You too huh?”

She raised both brows high. “What, you deal with them tonight?”

“Buffy and I took out one, and then she got another. Willow took samples.”

Faith made a face, lip curled in disgust. “Gross.”

“Yeah, but these zombies were different...”

“Wanted a piece of you between your teeth?” She asked.

“Yeah...did it bite you?”

“No...I thought it was just a vamp victim when I found the body covered in blood the way it was. Most of its insides were ripped out and gone. Then it started moving and tried to bite me. No game face so I knew it hadn't been turned that way.”

“You take out the brain?”

“Knife went in like it was butter.” She patted the knife sheathed at her hip. “You think another zombie ate it and that's what turned it?”

“Maybe...but according to Giles zombies don't eat people.”

She snorted. “Think Watcher Man needs to go out in the field and see these things for himself.”

Xander shrugged. “He's gonna call the council in the morning. Want me to walk you home?”

“I can manage.”

He pouted at her. “Please?”

Faith managed a chuckle and moved to pat his cheek, “Only because you're real cute when you use those puppy eyes. You know I'm crashing at Heidi's this week right?”

“Yep...which is so much better than that motel.”

“It was pretty nasty.”

“I meant the lack of proper threshold Faith. Vamps coulda just waltzed right in there while you slept.”

“True. Come on then. There should be some pizza in the fridge.”

He grinned and happily walked beside her, pizza happened to be a magic word.

xxx

It was late when he finally got back to Tor's house, the place he happened to be crashing at. The house was full tonight, Jerry, Tor's godfather, was asleep in the master bedroom with his girlfriend Janice. Tor and Jonathan were in Tor's room trying to be quiet, but any werewolf who knew how to use their ears would know they were having sex. Cordelia was in the guestroom that she'd commandeered for herself after Xander had moved her out of her own crappy motel room.

He locked the door behind him as he entered and reset the alarm before making his way through the house, pausing at her open doorway. “Hey Cordy.”

“Hey.” She looked up from the book she was reading. “How was patrol?”

“Buffy and I ran into a couple of zombies...Faith dealt with a third.”

“More zombies?”

“Yeah, fun was not had. Be careful when you go out now...these zombies like to bite.”

She put the book on her bedside table, eyes worried. “But Giles said...is Giles wrong?”

Xander shrugged. “He doesn't want to think so but he's going to call the Council and find out.”

“This is just what we needed huh? A third round of zombies right after the hellhounds.”

“Could be worse.”

“Don't jinx us Xan, please.”

He nodded. “Sure thing Queen C. See you in the morning, seems like Tor's car is gonna be full.”

“Jonathan still here?”

“Yep.”

She nodded and got under the covers before turning off her lamp. “Night Xander.”

“Night Cordy.” He walked to his own guestroom, peeled off his clothes and left them on the floor, and never bothering to turn on the light as he slipped between the sheets in just his boxers and fell asleep.

xxx

Heidi was up and in the kitchen when Faith stumbled out of bed the next morning. She grinned at the Slayer and handed her a cup of coffee. “Sleep well?”

Faith took a sip of the coffee, frowned, and added more sugar and milk before sipping it again and settling at the table. “No.”

It was Heidi's turn to frown. “I know you got in kinda late last night...and you ate an entire pizza.”

She laughed a little. “Xander and I ate an entire pizza. He left money for a new one.”

“Pizza give you nightmares? My mom won't eat it right before bed anymore because it makes her dreams all funky.”

Faith shook her head and pulled her hair back from her face for a moment, before letting it fall back in place. “No...I think I was battling Slayer dreams all night.” 

Heidi nearly dropped her own cup of coffee mid pour. “How bad?”

“Bad. The dead rose and tore people apart; ate them up...and the half eaten corpses rose and it started all over again.”

“You think it was real?”

“Yeah. Last night, I dealt with one. Xan and B took out two before I met up with him.”

Heidi finished pouring her coffee and leaned against the counter, bottom lip worried between her teeth. “Was my mom here when you got home?”

Faith looked up from her coffee and shook her head. “No...I checked the house before I crashed.”

“That means she didn't come home last night.”

“She's with city planning or whatever right? Isn't she working on a new project? The new city hall? I mean Sunnydale needs a new city hall after we bombed the Mayor's office and took him out.”

She nodded. “Yeah...and she's had some late nights working on the plans but...she should have come home last night.”

“Want me to swing by her office while you're in class?”

“Would you?”

Faith nodded. “Yeah, gotta earn my keep somehow.”

“Thanks...what do you want for breakfast? Pop-Tarts or cereal?”

“One of us has got to learn to cook so we can eat meat in the morning.”

Heidi grinned. “Buy a cookbook, Slayer, and let me know how that goes.”

xxx

Tor's car was indeed packed full that morning. He was driving, of course, and Jonathan called shotgun, leaving Xander and Cordy in the backseat. The commute though was rather sparse, not nearly as many cars were on the streets as there had been two days ago, even a day ago.

“This flu thing must be really bad.” Cordy commented as Tor easily navigated to the student parking lot, a fourth of the cars were missing.

“It’s good to be werewolf.” Tor grinned back at them. “No flu, no cold...so am I driving you guys home today?”

Xander shook his head. “I'll probably stay behind at the library for a while; find out what the Council has to say on our probable zombies.”

“I'll need a ride to the boutique for my shift...” Cordelia paused, unsure for a moment, “If that's okay?”

“Sure Cordy, no problem.”

“I need a ride home...hopefully I'm not grounded for not calling my mom last night to tell her where I was.”

Tor grinned at him and leaned in for a kiss. “Jerry called her last night, said she sounded amused that you forgot to call because we were busy doing stuff.”

Jonathan blushed but grinned back. “Mom can be cool like that.”

“Alright, let’s go see how many people are sick today and hope our non-wolfy people don't catch this flu bug.” Xander let himself out of the car and the others followed suit, walking toward the nearest entrance. They parted ways once inside, Cordy for her locker, Tor and Jonathan for the commons area. Xander veered toward the library in hopes that Giles had some concrete information.

He pushed open the swinging doors and nearly faltered when he saw Willow, Oz, and Buffy at the table. Giles was at the counter polishing his glasses. Crap.

Xander sighed. “They're zombies aren't they?”

Giles sighed. “No, technically they are not zombies. There was no magic in their raising.”

He blinked and looked at Willow. “You can tell?”

She shook her head, face paler than usual. “I didn't think to check for any magical signature until...but that's not the bad news Xan.”

“It’s worse?”

Giles sighed and walked around the counter to join the others at the table. “It’s not secluded to Sunnydale. There are reports all over...this flu going around. According to the news it makes people violent, makes them attack other people.”

Xander sank into an empty chair, blood growing cold in his veins. “The flu is connected.”

“From what the Council can figure out...the dead that rose are spreading it. When they bite someone, that person is infected. They get sick, then they die, and then they come back. It’s a rather vicious cycle.”

“And taking out the brain is the only way to stop them.” Buffy muttered. “How far spread Giles?”

“I turned on the news this morning. Several major cities here in the US are reporting such incidents. A few states have even declared a state of emergency.”

Buffy nodded like she'd expected it, Xander frowned. “Buffy?”

“Slayer dreams really kept me up last night. I dreamed about nothing but zombies.”

Xander tried not to groan in dismay, but it was hard and he let his head rest on the table. “Crap.”

Giles looked alarmed at his behavior. “Xander?”

“It’s all over United States right?”

“Yes.”

“What about London...The Council must have had access to a few of these things to test for magic.”

“Yes...it’s happening there too...all over Europe. Watchers are reporting in from all over the globe about the dead rising.”

He sighed and banged his head gently on the table. “Crap. Crapcrapcrap.”

“Xander?” Buffy asked. “What is it?”

He sat back up, knowing his face was filled with dread. “It’s a freaking Zombie Apocalypse.”

“We've handled apocalypses before.” Willow offered weakly.

“Wills’ those were localized to the Hellmouth. This is global...and not magical according to the Council.”

Her eyes got wide in realization. “Oh...you think it could be a real virus? Something made by people?”

Giles took off his glasses once more and rubbed at his eyes. “Human beings do have a bit of a habit of messing with things they don't understand. It’s plausible.”

“Very.” Oz commented; it had been his only input so far. “So...what do we do?”

“We start stocking up on supplies. How are our funds?”

Willow looked relieved that he had some sort of plan in mind. “The Mayor was loaded...I totally emptied out his bank account before the explosion. I transferred the money to several different accounts in assumed names in neighboring towns. Then Oz, Giles, and Buffy's Mom used the fake IDs I made to take the money and close out the accounts. We have plenty of cash on hand.”

“You missed your calling as a crime boss, Will.” He offered her a smile and it was returned. “So, food, water...weapons.”

“We have weapons.” Giles told him.

“Guns, Giles. Our weapons are good...but guns would help.”

“You have some stashed away.” Oz frowned. “There are still grenades in my van.”

“I do...but not enough for all of us to have one...and the only gun Giles has is the dart gun. I don't think we'll be able to tranq these things.”

“The problem with that plan Xander is that once it’s perfectly clear that local police won't be able to handle the problem, the military will be called in. So you may not be able to sneak in and steal what you need this time.” Giles really had a point.

“My uncle Rory is kind of a gun nut...he's also in jail for drunk and disorderly, and will be for a while.” He shrugged. “He likes me okay and won't mind if I take the guns to keep my dad from pawning them for his own booze...if there's one thing Uncle Rory won't do its pawn his babies. It’s a temporary solution...at least until we can get more.” He grinned at Giles. “I don't suppose you'll mind filling out the necessary forms to procure some real guns for yourself?”

“I suppose not.”

“Buffy? Think your mom would mind doing the same?”

“I'll talk to her about.”

“My dad's a pacifist...but mom's a bit more practical. She has a couple of guns stashed away.” Oz told them.

“They won't mind? Will she miss them?”

“They're on the road going to a bunch of concerts. It’s why I'm staying at Willow's right now.”

“My folks are in San Diego at a conference. Their next stop is Phoenix.” Her eyes got a little wide. “Oh! Dad has a handgun locked in his desk...I know where the key is.”

“Okay...so...we need to stock up...and practice with the weapons; crossbows, long bows, and the guns especially. Giles and Mrs. Summers should be able to buy ammo without doing any paperwork.”

“First aid supplies,” Willow told him. “Not all of us heal wolfy fast...even our slayers will need bandages.”

“Good, make a list, Wills. I want each of our homes to be stocked...and I have a couple of safe houses that I want stocked too.”

“I'll get started on it during my free block.”

The bell rang then and they all groaned, Buffy in particular. “I can't believe we're just going to class when there's a global apocalypse on the rise.”

“Well,” Xander said brightly, “if the world is taken over by the rotting dead...school won't be in session for much longer.”

xxx

By lunch Willow had a master list made up and had divided it up into smaller lists so she could pass them out to everyone. Some of them looked skeptical about it when Xander told them it was the Zombie Apocalypse they were getting ready for.

“Seriously?” Kyle said; eying the list he'd been given. “You want me to borrow my dad's truck and buy enough camping supplies for all of us?”

“Enough for all of us to share, like two or three to a tent,” Willow confirmed.

He rolled his eyes. “What's on your list, Ronnie?”

Rhonda smirked. “Flashlights, batteries, candles, lamp oil, matches, and lighters.” She frowned at the list. “Solar powered chargers?”

“For all our little gizmos.”

The library doors swung open and Faith entered the room, looking grim. Heidi looked up from her own list. “Faith?”

She reached them and gave Heidi a sad look. “I went by your mom's office.”

Heidi's heart sped up. “And?”

“She'd been bitten...her boss bit her last night but didn't eat her because she whacked him with a paperweight and took him out...but... I got there as she died Heidi, and I was there when she came back.”

Heidi's knees buckled and Xander caught her, lowered her to the floor, and held her. “Oh geeze.”

“Did you-?” Heidi swallowed, face green. “Did you make it quick?”

“I did.”

“Thank you.” She turned her face into Xander's neck and cried; he held her and the rest of the pack crowded around them on the floor, touching and petting her until her sobs died out.

“Shit,” Kyle finally muttered. “This shit is real.”

“Yeah Kyle. It is.” Xander looked at each of them. “No one goes anywhere alone anymore. Pairs of two at the very least, watch each other’s back because our survival is going to depend on that. Got it?” Everyone nodded. “You too Giles, I don't want you alone at your apartment.”

“My house is getting kinda full.” Tor offered. “But the living room has a fold out.”

“We have a guestroom.” Buffy told them.

Heidi pulled away, shaking her head. “Faith and I can stay with Giles. I don't...I don't want to stay at home. Not yet.”

“I have a spare room myself, and, of course, there's my couch.” Giles told her softly. “You're both welcome to them.”

Xander nodded, glad it was settled. “Good...I need to tell Cordy. Everyone have their lists?” Nods all around. “Heidi you're exempt from today's shopping. You need time to mourn.”

She nodded and Giles helped her up. “I'll set up the cot in my office and you can stay here the rest of the day.”

“Thanks. Faith...can you pack up some of my things from the house?”

Faith nodded. “Sure Didi.”

Nothing else was said as Giles led Heidi into his office, each of them with a list gripped tightly in their hand.

xxx

Xander sat at the table waiting for the guard to bring in his Uncle Rory. When the two emerged he stood and offered his hand for the older man to shake. Rory grinned at him, eyes blood shot and face scruffy. His hands stayed cuffed so he took Xander's hand in both of his.

“Hey kid.”

“Hey Rory.”

“Movin' away from your old man agrees with you.”

“Thanks.” They sat and the guard moved away to give them some sort of privacy, though he kept watch over them and the other visitors at the various tables. Other guards were posted around the room, all armed...all on edge. Xander lifted a brow. “Something happen inside?”

“Guy came in just as he OD last night or they thought he'd OD...then he came too and went nuts. Guards ended up killing him.”

“He bite anybody?”

Rory sat back a little, and looked at him, face thoughtful. “I always thought you knew more about this town than you let on. Yeah...he bit one of the guards... Guard has a fever now. Heard he's not gonna make it.”

“He won't.” Xander confirmed. “A friend's mom died that way this morning...then came back.”

“What the hell is this Alexander?”

“Zombie Apocalypse if you can believe it...things are gonna get bad. How soon do you get out?”

“Still have a month to go...you need something from me?”

Xander nodded, upset that he could feel his face heating up. “Your guns.” Then he whispered, “Do you want me to break you out?”

“I figure I'm safe here, for now. Unless my cell mate dies.”

“If that happens, if anyone here turns and comes after you, go for the brain. That's the only way to stop them.”

“You were serious about breaking me out weren't you?”

“Uncle Rory, you're the only relative I have that I don't hate and can even tolerate.”

“I appreciate that...but I don't think you'd be able to get me out.”

“It wouldn't take much...I could just punch my way through a few walls.”

“Kid there's... Wait... What's happened to you?”

“I'm kind of a werewolf now.” He let his eyes glow red for a second. “So if you want out let me know and we'll plan a jail break. Give you a chance to get out of town before it gets bad.”

Rory smiled and took his hand again, giving it a squeeze. “There would be no point Alexander. My kidneys and liver are shot...I probably won't last the month I have left in here. Too many years of drinking. So you take those guns, ammo, and any other gear you can use, and take it with my blessing. You still have a key?”

Xander swallowed, eyes starting to burn. “Yes sir.”

“Good. You take what you need and be safe...and Alexander; I want you to keep something in mind.”

“What's that?”

“You're the best thing the Harris line has ever produced.”

“I...I could give you the bite. I'm an Alpha so I can make other werewolves...it would repair your kidneys and liver.”

“Wolves like to run free son...how often does that bite take?”

“It works better on younger people.”

“Then don't even contemplate it...” Rory frowned as if he had a troubling thought. “I'm not leaving you all alone am I?”

Xander shook his head. “Like I said, I'm an Alpha. I have a pack...people to take care of.”

“Good. Then take care Alexander...and don't come back here, not even when things go to shit.”

“Yes sir.”

xxx

Xander walked to his Uncle Rory's house, Cordelia beside him. Willow didn't have a list for her, but she'd insisted on coming along; not willing to let him break his own rule. Besides, she didn't want him to do this alone for emotional reasons and figured he needed the support. Also her shift at the boutique had been canceled and the shop had closed early, freeing up her afternoon. Which suited her just fine, even their alpha needed back up and Cordy had an ax hidden under the jacket she was carrying.

“He really said to leave him behind?”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds like you're not the only good thing the Harris line produced.”

Xander offered her a sad smile and nodded as they walked up the sidewalk and got to the door, keys in his hand. “I'll pull his car out of the garage first...then we'll raid the gun cabinet.”

“You really gonna teach us all how to shoot?”

“Yeah...we'll practice with the bows too. I want everyone to be comfortable with them and not careless.”

“Okay.”

Xander did as he said he would and got Old Blue out of the garage. Its light blue paint gleamed in the sunlight. Love it or hate it the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible was built to last. Cordelia had certainly never seemed impressed with it, though they both really loved the trunk space because all of Rory's guns fit inside with space to spare. They had room for the ammo as well as the tent and the sleeping bags. Then they started packing the canned goods, the batteries, and flashlights. Not to mention anything else they thought might be useful.

By the time they were done the trunk was full, as was the backseat, and Xander drove them home to Tor's. They still had a long night ahead of them, because someone had to deal with what was left of Heidi's mom.

XXX


	3. Chapter 2

Here is Sanctuary  
calikocat

Word count: 6144

Chapter 2

XXX

The trip south to Sunnydale was taking longer than it should have. If they'd had more drivers they could have driven straight down, switching out; and while Claudia and John could do that, and even Talia could have switched with Peter ... Elden had no one to spot him. Not to mention the kids needed breaks, young werewolves could only be cooped up for so long and the drive made Seth and Stiles cranky. It was slow going and at the end of each day they stopped, taking their vehicles even further into the back roads where they would be safer. 

Since the weather was good they unpacked their sleeping bags, all of them, and gathered together and slept curled up to one another. Except Claudia who had first watch, she'd volunteered because she'd napped off and on during the drive. Besides, she was the one who knew a bit of magic, she was the one who could put up temporary wards using their circle of vehicles as a focus point.

She sat on the cab of John's truck, on a spare sleeping bag with a rifle in hand and her every sense opened to the world around her. The woods were filled with living breathing creatures, and the dead. There were only a few, but they weren't coming toward the camp, not yet, and they wouldn't as long as everyone stayed fairly quiet.

Two hours of waiting and listening earned her a bit of sleep as Elden took over, but even as she rested she kept her second sight open so she'd know where the dead were.

 

It was harder to camp and stay hidden the further south they got as forests became thinner and warmer; there were fewer places to hide in a desert climate. The last night before they reached Sunnydale they found an old house on, yet another out of the way, back road. The homestead had been abandoned within the last ten years at least, dust had collected and spiders, but it was sound enough and walls would be easier to add wards too.

So Claudia found an old broom and dustpan and swept the entire first floor while Elden opened the windows. Peter kept the kids occupied and helped them set up the sleeping bags in the living room much the way they would on a sleepover. Talia and John walked the perimeter; her with her claws out, him with rifle in hand.

 

It was Peter who came across the small group of zombies on a trip out to the woods to relieve himself. There were only three he said, as he came limping back, but he hadn't been paying attention and they'd been on him before he realized it. He'd killed them driving his claws into their brains...but one had bitten him...torn some flesh from his forearm. It was healing slowly.

Too slowly, and the fever swept over him fast and hard, and lasted all night and all the next day. It didn't break until after dark the next night, and when it did the bite started to truly heal, almost as fast as a regular wound would.

Claudia hated that Peter had suffered...but now they knew something very important...the bites of the dead wouldn't kill werewolves they way did humans. It was the first bit of good news the apocalypse had brought them.

xxx

School had been canceled for the rest of the week; too many people, faculty and students alike, were out with the super flu. It was depressing to think that he'd never see all those people alive again. Getting sick with this super flu meant death within about twenty-four hours, and minutes, or hours, later they rose again ready to bite anything that moved. He didn't necessarily like everyone that was sick...but no one deserved to be mindless and dead.

Well...almost no one.

Despite the school being closed they were gathered in the library; bows and crossbows set up on the table, wooden targets hanging on the book cage. Arrows from the long bows were sticking from the wood, as were bolts from the crossbows. A few had bounced off the metal of the cage. Most of them were a good shot with the traditional bows and crossbows Giles had supplied them with. Giles, however, had also bought several modern bows, of various types at a sporting goods store. He'd had to tell a lie, something about starting up an archery club at the high school, but luckily the manager bought it.

Buffy and Faith were experts in mere minutes and Xander had no doubt they'd be able to hit a moving target when faced with one. He wasn't so bad himself, he didn't hit the bulls-eye every time, but he was more familiar with guns than bows, which is why he wanted to do this exercise.

Giles expertise was no surprise, but Jonathan's was. The guy had blushed and mumbled something about his late dad being military when he was killed in action. He even mentioned something about his guns being packed away in the attic. Something else to keep in mind...they were really going to have to bring Jonathan's mom in on the situation soon. Not telling her how dangerous things were getting would get her killed.

 

After a couple of hours of practice they packed up, each taking a bow of some sort with them, before they headed out the faculty entrance that Giles used. Xander held up a hand and they all paused halfway down the steps; even Giles, building keys in hand.

Three vehicles pulled into the faculty lot, pulled around to the bottom of the steps, and parked there. Talia Hale stepped out of the last car in the caravan, her family station wagon. Claudia and John climbed out of the truck that had led them there while Elden slid out of the SUV in the middle.

“Alpha Hale.”

Talia nodded at him. “Alpha Harris.”

“Why are you here?”

She eyed the long bow in his hand. “Why do you have a bow?”

He managed a smile. “It’s the Zombie Apocalypse, didn't you know?”

“Claudia gave us some warning; we got out of Beacon Hills before it got bad.”

“It’s going to get bad here too.” Claudia told them. “But we'll be safer here together.”

Xander nodded. “For a while at least...but I don't know how long we'll be able to hold out. Faith and Buffy have been having all kinds of wonky Slayer dreams.” He looked around him at his pack. “They'll need somewhere to stay.”

Kyle shrugged. “My parents are still on some freaking cruise. They can stay with me.”

“We could stay at a hotel.” John offered.

“No.” Xander shook his head, voice sharp. “Kyle's house is safer. Vampires can't cross the threshold.” He looked at Kyle again. “Lead the way, we'll talk there.”

“Sure, can't wait to hear all the bad news they have for us.”

“It’s not all bad,” Claudia said grimly.

“Oh?” Xander was grateful for anything good, though he wondered at her expression just how good the news could be.

“The bite won't kill werewolves...but still...try not to get bitten.”

xxx

Kyle had ordered pizza before Buffy called her mom and gave her directions to Kyle's house. She arrived at the same time as the pizzas and joined them for their impromptu indoor picnic while the Beacon Hills group caught them up on what had happened.

Claudia's dreams had acted as an early warning system and she'd gotten them all out of their quaint little town. They'd made their way south off the beaten path, but just a couple of days ago Peter had been bitten which slowed their progress...but he'd survived; unlike Heidi's mom.

Heidi was currently curled up in a large chair with a weakened Peter, still mourning her mom...and now clutching him tight. His call had been a bit too close under the circumstances.

The information sharing continued, Xander telling them about the zombies he, Buffy, and Faith had dealt with. How Willow was still studying samples, and that the Watcher's Council knew for a fact that there was no magic in the raising. Whatever this was, it was made by humans that had screwed up royally. The Slayer dreams, like Claudia's dream, foretold how much worse things were going to get.

For now they were going to bug in, hunker down, and see how long they could stay in town. Keeping to their usual schedule and trying to maintain some normalcy was all they could do. So Kyle got his guests situated in his many guestrooms before he and Rhonda went on patrol. Tor and Jonathan were going to do the same before crashing at Jonathan's house. Neither wanted the other boy's mother home alone.

Buffy left with her mother, Joyce promising to keep her baseball bat close, and Faith went with them so the two slayers could patrol together. Heidi stayed curled up with Peter in the chair, while Willow and Oz followed Giles to his flat for research. Xander and Cordy climbed into Old Blue and went on their own patrol.

No one was supposed to go looking for zombies specifically as Xander didn't want his pack to get overrun...but if they came across two or three they had orders to take them out. Depending on how bad things got they might have to change tactics...but for now that's what they were doing.

It didn't save Jerry though...Xander and Cordy got to Tor's house that night to find him dead in the kitchen...his girlfriend, Janice, beside him on the floor chewing on his insides. Cordy put an arrow through Jerry's left eye and into his brain so he wouldn't rise and Xander smashed Janice's skull between his hands.

Then they both threw up in the kitchen sink.

xxx

They were at Kyle's again the next morning, everyone giving their reports of how many zombies had been wandering about, how many they'd taken down, and how many had heard from their parents. It wasn't the most appetizing conversation over the breakfast that Claudia and Elden fixed for them, but the talk had to happen.

Kyle's parents were still incommunicado on their fancy cruise while Willow's were leaving San Diego for Phoenix. She'd tried to talk them out of the next conference, but she had an aunt there and her parents wouldn't be swayed...they were even disappointed in her for taking stock in the growing hysteria about the 'super flu'. Her mother had hung up on her, and Willow feared she'd never see them again.

Oz's parents were kinder in their brush off, but were adamant to head to their next concert on their road trip. It was their third honeymoon and nothing Oz said could change their minds.

Then was a good a time as any to tell Tor what had happened to his godfather and his girlfriend. Tor's eyes had watered and Jonathan had crawled into his lap to give him comfort, so he could hide his face in the smaller boy's neck and sob. Jerry had raised Tor ever since his parents had disappeared ten years ago. He managed to ask what they'd done with the bodies, if they'd been burned. Xander confirmed that they had been...and they'd even cleaned the kitchen; though neither he nor Cordy would be eating in there any time soon.

Giles gave them the only bit of good news they had that day, he had heard from the Council again...their researchers and scientists were working with several other groups to find a cure. However the CDC seemed to be baffled...only the French seemed to be making any headway.

It wasn't much, but it was something. Maybe the Watchers would be the ones who saved the world for once, instead of the slayers.

Since school was still out until further notice they kept gathering supplies, some to use then and there in their homes...some to pack up in case they needed to make a run for it. That night, however, while Buffy and Xander were on patrol together, several Humvees rolled into Sunnydale and the shit started to hit the fan. 

xxx

They were called The Initiative...and they weren't the National Guard...instead they were some secret army attachment that knew all about the Hellmouth, vampires, and demons. Which meant they might know about werewolves too...so Xander and Talia kept their people in. 

No one patrolled anymore, not with soldiers hell-bent on killing anything that wasn't human. Some of the demons and vamps were able to get out of town before the fences went up around the most populated neighborhoods. No one had heard from Angel since he'd broken up with Buffy and left town after they'd taken out the Mayor. They could only hope that wherever he was...it was safer than Sunnydale.

They were under a strict curfew, which was bad enough, but every night the power went out to 'conserve' resources. The worst thing though happened a week later. 

 

“Mandatory health screenings go into effect tomorrow, so when our people come by to checkout your household let them in and we won't have any problems.” Xander kept his breath steady as he raised his hand. “You have a question kid?”

“How invasive are the Health Screenings?”

“You afraid of needles?”

“I have a four year old cousin who is.”

“Better hold his hand then, everyone gets a blood test.”

“Yes sir.”

He slipped away as soon as possible, glad that Kyle and Tor only lived a couple of streets from each other. They were going to have to get out of Sunnydale, that night if they could. The second the Army doctors drew blood from one of his or Talia's wolves they'd know something was up. Even if they could hide how fast they healed from the needle prick there was no way to fake the blood results.

xxx

Getting out was easier said than done. Buffy and Jonathan lived in one fenced off area, while Tor and Kyle were in another. Willow was in the third one and Giles in the fourth. Rhonda and Heidi were staying at Kyle's along with their guests. Tor was crashing at Jonathan's while Xander and Cordy were still crashing at his house. Tor, like Heidi, hadn't been able to face going home after Jerry's death. Faith was still at Giles' place and Oz was at Willow's.

It was complicated, but Xander managed to sneak to the other three areas and let everyone know what the plan was. Tor, Jonathan, and his mom would go to Buffy's and leave with her and Joyce for the weakest part of the fence around their neighborhood. Willow and Oz were to take Oz's van and pick up Giles and Faith before they made their way out of their area. Xander and Cordy were going to hike to Kyle's house and join the group there before making a break for it at the checkpoint that was the weakest link. Then they would all meet at an abandoned gas station in the desert, one his pack had camped at on a full moon run.

 

“You okay?”

Xander nodded and squeezed Cordy's hand before they started their trek to Kyle's house. “Just wish we'd had more time.”

“Well, look on the bright side.”

“There's a bright side to all this?”

“Your paranoia paid off. Most of our supplies are already packed in the cars we were gonna use in the caravan.”

“Yeah. That is a bright side I guess.”

 

They made it to Kyle's without incident, stowing their things in the station wagon. Talia handed him the keys to it so he and Cordy took point while John followed in his truck, Elden drove the Hale's SUV with Talia riding shotgun, while Kyle and Rhonda brought up the rear in Kyle's car. He stopped them all on a side street out of sight from the soldiers standing guard and got out, leaving the engine running. He motioned Rhonda and Heidi to follow him, Talia came along as well, and together they snuck up on the guards and knocked them out, dragging them out of sight.

Xander searched the one with the highest rank and came up with a keycard that opened the gate; and while he was at it he gathered up their guns and extra ammo. Cordy drove the station wagon through the gate; leading the caravan out and when the last of their vehicles passed through Xander closed the gate and left the keycard on the ground.

 

They made it to the gas station in good time, and then waited for the others to join them. Oz's group was the first to get there and Willow nearly tripped over herself getting out of the front seat to check on them, worried something had happened. Her heart only calmed a little when she saw everyone gathered there was okay...except Buffy's group was late.

Very late actually, but eventually Joyce's SUV truck thing squealed its way into the dirt parking lot. Xander ran to it, worried that one of them had gotten bit, but what he found was a traumatized and uninjured Jonathan curled up in Tor's lap.

“What happened?”

Tor's eyes were glowing in rage. “His mom started having chest pains...he asked the soldiers outside to help...” He growled. “They shot her in the head.”

Xander closed his eyes, keeping his own wolf in check. “We need to reorganize and move out. You two get in the station wagon, you're riding with me and Cordy.”

Tor didn't argue, just got out with Jonathan still in his arms; the smaller boy didn't say a word, he simply stared at nothing in front of him. “I didn't kill the soldiers,” Tor whispered. “But I wanted too.”

“I know.” He hadn't smelled any blood on Tor and was glad of it.

“I took their guns though...and left them tied up and naked in embarrassing intimate positions...I wouldn't have done that much if they hadn't called Jono a crybaby faggot.”

Xander gave him the smallest smirk of approval before turning to Talia so they could figure out who was riding in what for the long haul.

The Stilinski's took the lead in their truck, Derek with them as he was refusing to leave Stiles' side. Xander followed them in the station wagon, Cordy riding shotgun, with Tor and Jonathan curled up in the backseat. Behind them was Kyle in his car, Rhonda at his side, and an armed Faith in the backseat. Fourth was Oz in his van, Willow keeping her eyes open for trouble in the front seat, while Heidi and Peter sprawled out on the pile of pillows in the back between the supplies and weapons. Fifth was the Hale SUV, Talia was driving now so Elden could rest, Cora was in the middle seat beside Seth's car seat and Laura was in the back. Bringing up the rear of their caravan was Joyce, Giles beside her, while Buffy sat in the back, watching Sunnydale grow smaller and smaller the further away they got.

Xander had a horrible feeling that they'd never see the Hellmouth again...it was hell...but it had been his home for eighteen years. He was going to miss it.

xxx

They drove for three days straight, buying gas when they could, stealing it when they couldn't; and they only used what was in their gas cans when they were low on fuel in the middle of nowhere. There was no real plan or destination in their minds, except to keep to the back roads and avoid people, the dead, and the military. The pulled off one of many roads and put their six vehicles in a circle; Willow called it circling the wagons like the early pioneers had done. Xander liked the idea; it gave them a perimeter and a makeshift shelter against bullets.

The wolves hunted that night, coming up with small game to bring back and cook over an open fire. A few cans of fruit were passed around for desert, and as the peaches and pineapple were eaten they made a plan.

It was too dangerous to go up north to Oxnard where Oz had family, so everyone was happy that his Uncle Ken, Aunt Maureen, and little wolfy Jordy were on a road trip and had plans to meet Oz's parents in Dallas.

There had still been no word from Kyle or Rhonda's parents, and Kyle figured he'd never see his again. They'd been listening to the news on the radios and cities on both coasts were occupied by the military. Even if the cruise ship the DuFours’ were on got back safely there was no way they'd be allowed off the ship.

Rhonda's parents were in New York and she hadn't heard from them since everything had started; though now their cell phones weren't working. Willow had one voicemail she'd been able to access before they went down...her parents had gone on to their next conference despite all the chaos. They had made it safely to Atlanta before all other flights were grounded.

So they had to make a few decisions about where to go. Xander had left his only family behind in the County Jail. Cordelia's dad was in prison for tax evasion and her mom had skipped town weeks ago. Heidi, Tor, and Jonathan didn't have any family to go back to.

“We could try Dallas.” Faith pointed at the map. “I mean, that's where Oz's folks will be right? It’s as good a place as any.”

“And it’s not on the coast...maybe it won't be so bad there?” Willow said hopefully.

Claudia shook her head. “It will be bad, all the cities will be...but we should try for it.”

Xander and Talia shared a look and he tilted his head at her. “What do you think?”

“I think that if it was one of my wolves I'd at least make the effort. Jordy is the same age as Stiles and Cora isn't he?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s your call then Xander, he's your wolf.”

He nodded. “We try for Dallas, back roads all the way.”

“We should refill the water jugs and bottles; Texas is warm this time of year.”

“We heard a stream nearby...we'll bring some back and boil it.” Kyle offered.

“Peter says he's up to patrolling.” Heidi informed them.

“Take Faith, watch your backs.”

xxx

According to Willow the drive to Dallas would have been around 1400 miles, if they'd been on the main highways. With them sticking to the back roads their caravan got quite a bit more mileage, but it was worth it. Everything they heard on the news let them know that they'd been smart about their travel plans...the world was chaos and civilization was crumbling. The military were napalming the cities to try and stop the dead from overtaking them...but that just made more corpses because the cities hadn't been evacuated yet.

Humanity was panicking, and shooting itself in the foot trying to take out the enemy, and by the time they actually got to Dallas Oz had given up any and all hope of finding his family.

 

They camped outside the city, overlooking the smoking landscape, while a stoic Oz stood on top of his van and let out a mournful howl. All of them, wolves, humans, and witches stood vigil and let him grieve alone, and then the packs joined in. Their howls echoed through the empty night and Claudia smiled a bit at Xander and Talia. She could feel the dead shambling away from them, sensing predators more fierce than them nearby.

When they quieted down Oz buried his face in Willow's hair and was silent as tears fell...then...one small mournful howl reached their ears. Jordy was alive.

Talia and her pack stayed behind to guard their camp, while Xander's headed toward the city, each with a blade while the Slayers backed them up with their bows. Willow and Jonathan stayed to help Claudia put up wards around camp, not wanting to slow their wolves down.

 

They found Jordy on the outskirts of the city in a subdivision, hurt, and barely keeping ahead of four staggering zombies. Oz took out the two that were closest...his Uncle Ken and Aunt Maureen. Xander scooped up Jordy and grabbed Oz so he wouldn't have to watch Buffy and Faith take out the zombies that had been his parents.

Heidi retrieved their arrows for them and Kyle smashed all four skulls just in case. Tor and Rhonda raided nearby homes for sheets and wrapped the bodies. Then the four of them carried them out of the city. Xander placed Jordy, who'd been bitten at least three times, into Oz's arms and took point while the slayers watched their backs.

The way back to camp was slow and they didn't carry the bodies into the circle of vehicles. Instead Giles and Joyce brought them gas and some firewood and helped them build a funeral pyre. Jordy was handed over to Claudia and Jonathan so they could tend his bites while Willow held Oz as they watched the bodies’ burn. Oz howled again, grief filling the night, and Jordy howled back from the safety of Claudia's arms.

xxx

They stayed in their camp outside Dallas for a couple of days; it took that long for Jordy's fever to burn out and his bites to heal. After that they raided a few places for pressboard and spray paint to make signs to warn others that Dallas wasn't safe. Then they kept going east toward Atlanta, and the faint hope that Willow's parents would be there holed up in their hotel room.

 

That hope was dashed when they got there, the highway leading into Atlanta was packed with abandoned cars while the highway out empty and desolate. Atlanta had been firebombed more recently than Dallas and, like Dallas, it was a smoking ruin. Willow cried in Oz's arms, Jordy held in her own, as they made camp outside the city and decided where to go next.

Xander had to ask that night around the fire what Rhonda wanted to do, if she thought it would be worth trying New York to look for her parents.

She choked back a bitter laugh and shook her head. “As bad as Dallas and Atlanta were...New York has got to be worse. It’s not worth risking anyone here to look for their bodies.”

“Then we need a game plan, we can't stay on the road forever. We need a place we can fortify and make our own.”

“Can we be farmers?” The question came from Stiles who was curled up in a blanket between Derek and Claudia. “If we were farmers we could grow our own food.”

“We don't have any experience.” Kyle objected. 

“I do,” Claudia spoke up, “My grandparents had a small farm and raised a garden every year.” 

“You think we can find an abandoned farm? Take it over? Or would that be bad of us?” Willow asked.

“This isn't something that's just going to simply end...it may be decades before humanity gets back on its feet...maybe longer than that.” Giles muttered; glasses in hand, Ripper peeking out of his eyes. “The worst thing we face may not be the dead, but the living.”

Xander looked at Talia and tried to make his voice light and optimistic. “So how do you feel about farming?”

She looked amused and thoughtful. “I think Peter would make a very good sheep dog.” Peter threw a stick at her, which she caught and added to their fire. “Really Xander, it’s as good a plan as any.”

“So we learn how to be farmers.” Xander nodded and looked at their combined packs. “Any objections?” There were none and Xander sighed in relief, he always felt better when they had a plan, even one as tentative as simply 'being farmers'.

xxx

Breakfast the next morning consisted of weak coffee, canned ham, and the last of the bananas that someone had stashed in the coolers just before their mad dash to freedom. Then they packed up camp, except for a map spread out on the hood of John and Claudia's truck. They had to pick a direction to go, and on a whim they chose south. There had to be plenty of farms out there, farms with small towns nearby where they could scavenge supplies as they needed them. 

They got back on the road in their usual formation, stopping only to siphon gas out of abandoned vehicles to top off their tanks and gas cans. Then it was back to the back roads as they made their way south, not knowing what was ahead of them.

 

The first few towns they drove through were empty, Xander couldn't hear any human heartbeats, though there were more than a few moaning corpses scattered throughout the buildings. He nearly slammed on the brakes when he heard the automatic gunfire, and flashed his lights so John would stop as well. Xander took the lead then, turning away from the town they'd been approaching, while John backed up and followed him and the rest fell in line.

Whatever was going on ahead of them, Xander wanted no part of it. They had a handful of automatics themselves that they’d taken from The Initiative but their ammo for them was limited. He wasn't going to risk it.

 

They drove deeper and deeper into the country, and he slowed down at a closed gate with a sign that told him it was owned by a family named Greene. In the distance he could hear cattle, horses, and chickens. And people. It was occupied so he sped up and kept going, turning this way and that, moving further away from what would be their new neighbors.

Miles away they came across another gate...it was open and Xander stopped the station wagon so he could listen. There were no people talking that he could tell. He turned the key and got out, closing the door gently. Some of the others followed his lead and he nodded toward the long drive.

“Who's up for a little recon?”

“I could stretch my legs.” Buffy told him, stretching the rest of her where she stood and popping her back.

“I suppose I'm staying with the caravan.” Talia smiled.

“I'd rather one of us stay with it yeah...you can totally do the recon if you want.”

The other Alpha scoffed at him. “Between the two of us you have more experience in dealing with hostile forces. Do you want Peter to go with you?”

He eyed Peter. “You want to tag along or help watch the kids?”

“If you're taking weapons I should stay here.” Peter shrugged. “I haven't had any practice with them.”

“Okay. Heidi?”

Heidi gathered up her bow and arrows. “Let’s go.”

Faith and Cordelia stayed with the caravan; standing on top of the vehicles where they kept watch, bows at the ready. He grinned while his wolves gathered their weapons and they divided into two teams. Heidi and Oz went with him, while Rhonda, Kyle, and Tor followed Buffy. They went down the drive, bows ready, and then hid in the trees as they got closer to the two story farmhouse.

Still Xander heard no human heartbeats inside; they remained cautious as they got closer, clearing the yard and all around the house. Xander's team took the front door and Buffy's took the back. Neither door was locked, though he felt a pang of remorse for the way of life that had been lost here, it must have been nice to grow up in a place where you didn't have to lock your doors.

The living room, bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, dining room, and the master bedroom were empty. The second story consisted of another bathroom and three bedrooms...at some point a large family must have lived on the farm.

It was Buffy who found the door to the basement, it was in the laundry room, and they waited on Xander to open the door. The smell of death met them, as did a rattling groan. Buffy held the flashlight she'd found in the kitchen and followed him down, he had a long knife in his hand, ready for what they knew they'd find.

There was one zombie...and one former zombie. The former zombie was on the cement floor with its head smashed in with an old fashioned iron. The one staggering toward them wore a faded flower dress that was covered in old blood where her throat had been ripped out. Xander lunged and lodged his knife in her right eye before he pulled it back out in one fluid motion. She fell to the floor and was still.

“Looks like her husband got infected and attacked her,” Rhonda commented dully. “Then she took him out before she bled out.”

Xander nodded, feeling sorry for the older couple who had probably raised a large family in the house they were about to take over. “Yeah.”

“We burning the bodies?” Tor asked.

“Yes...but first...let’s check out the rest of the farm. See if any of the livestock is still around.”

“And look for more zombies,” Heidi muttered, “If I was a zombie I don't think I'd be picky about what I was eating. The animals might all be dead...” She paused as if a thought had struck her. “How come the animals aren't turning?”

Buffy snorted. “Sounds like a Willow or a Giles question.” She looked at Xander. “Ready?”

“Let's explore.”

xxx

There were still some cattle in the pasture that Xander could hear, and horses in a stable, though the poor beasts were looking a little lean. They paused to give the poor things fresh hay and water before moving on to the chicken coop that was empty. Part of the fence around it had been torn open, the smell of rotten flesh caught on the wire, but there were no feathers or bodies.

They found the chickens alive under some trees by a pond; it was a large pond with a dock in the middle and a structure built on it. All around, and on the dock, were ducks, white ones, brown ones, and some with funky red masks.

“What do you think?” Kyle asked.

“I think we need to check out the barn, the other sheds, and then check the fences.”

“Think fences will keep them out?” Buffy asked.

“If we had enough of them...it would at least slow them down.” He nodded. “Let's go.”

The barn was empty, except for a dwindling supply of hay, and the other buildings held a tractor and a number of things that could be pulled behind it. Xander had no idea what they were all for, but hopefully Claudia would. One of the smaller buildings held gardening tools and beside it was a large garden, already planted and getting out of control.

They checked the fences, and seeing people for the first time in no telling how long the cattle came in close to investigate. The beasts looked to be in good shape, though maybe a little hungry. Things looked pretty good all in all, so they gave a little hay to the cattle that came close enough and then regrouped at the house.

“Find some sheets, old ones that are about to fall apart if you can. We'll wrap the bodies in them and burn them away from the house.”

Oz nodded toward the house. “There were some small windows in the basement, we should try to open them and air it out.”

“Good idea. Let’s take care of the bodies before we lead the others back here...I want two of you to go back to the caravan and let them know what's going on. I want the witches to get ready to set up wards, and when they bring the cars here they need to park behind the house so they can't be seen from the driveway.”

Buffy and Oz volunteered to rejoin the group while Xander and the other four got to work on the bodies. It was a messy job, but laying the poor people to rest and cleansing them with fire was the least they could do; especially as they were about to move in and take over the place that had been their home for decades.

Xander wasn't much on prayer but he said a silent apology to the souls that were lost, and thanks for the safe haven his people had been provided with. They needed it, and the dead had no use for it.

XXX


	4. Chapter 3

Here is Sanctuary  
calikocat

Word count: 5826

Chapter 3

XXX

Once they had a funeral pyre going for the former residents of their new base Xander sent Rhonda and Kyle back to the others to lead them to the farm. Heidi and Tor stayed with him, watching the bodies’ burn. The first to join them at the fire, once the vehicles were parked behind the house, was Claudia. She tossed a handful of dried rosemary into the flames and said a silent prayer. Jonathan joined them with a sprig of fresh lavender he'd found and Willow produced some sage. Both were added to the fire and, for a moment, the smell of burning rotting flesh wasn't quite so bad.

 

When the fire went down Claudia, Willow, and Jonathan put wards on the house and the yard. Zombies wouldn't be able to cross the wards and the witches would know if any got too close. Then Claudia was a flurry of motion, taking charge of the rest of their day. She wanted the basement aired out while the house was cleaned; especially the fridge and freezers, the food that had gone bad would go to the chickens. She found wire and tools that she handed off to Xander so he could repair their pen while Peter and Heidi lured the flock back into it, shutting the door behind them.

Meanwhile Claudia tackled the garden, enlisting Joyce and Jonathan to help her pick what was ready to eat. Again the food that was too far gone went to the chickens, and by that time some of the ducks had wandered over to investigate and got a free meal for their trouble.

Clouds rolled in early in the evening and a rain shower forced them indoors before they were done; but there was plenty of fresh vegetables to go around and round out their meal of canned meat, soup, and crackers.

It was a meager beginning, but they were safe and their stomachs were full. It was good enough.

xxx

That first week Xander and Talia stepped aside and let Claudia take over, she was the only one who knew anything about farming so they bowed out to her expertise. Though in just a few days she had made all of them experts in the garden. They knew which plants needed to be pulled up, when to pick what was ready, and to everyone's displeasure they learned how to hill potatoes.

While they were becoming gardeners, green thumbed or not, Claudia brought two of the horses out of the stable. They were the biggest horses Xander had ever seen, and they seemed to be made of pure muscle. Claudia called them Belgians and hooked them up to some big cutting machine and put them to work. Xander asked the others what she was doing and Elden laughed, clapped him on the shoulder. “She's cutting hay so the horses and cattle will have more to eat.”

“Huh.”

And then Elden volunteered him to walk around the property to check out all the fences again so they could be repaired in the weaker spots. He also wanted to put in a new fence around the garden that they were so religiously tending to now so as to keep animals passing through from eating their food. Or to keep passing zombies from trampling it. It wouldn't hurt to put up a fence around the house and yard too as yet another obstacle between them and the dead...and any hostile living.

Xander looked around and saw the logic in that. “What sort of fence would be best?”

“I'd rather have chain-link around the house, as tall as we can get it...come with me.” He led Xander around the back of the house and pointed up in a tree. There in the branches was an old tree house. “We can use that as a lookout for whoever is keeping watch; it'll be cooler than having someone walking around on the roof.”

“I'm all for that!” Heidi called down to them from the roof where she was currently on watch.

“Do we have what we need here for the fences and tree house?”

“We have enough lumber for the tree house, and there's enough fencing and posts for a fence around the garden...”

“But no chain link huh?”

“No.”

Xander sighed. “Well we need to familiarize ourselves with the area anyway. Any idea where we'd find chain link?”

“Talia and I can go explore town in John's truck, see what we can find.”

“Take a slayer with you, and maybe another wolf.”

“Buffy and Oz?”

Xander nodded. “If they want to go.”

Within an hour Elden, Talia, Buffy, and Oz were loaded up into the Stilinski’s truck to explore the town. Claudia was still cutting hay, and the others were finishing up in the garden. The kids gathered up the weeds they'd pulled and tossed them into the chicken pen, which the birds seemed to appreciate now that they weren't able to run loose anymore.

Heidi's shift on watch ended and John took over, though he climbed on top of Oz's van where there was a lawn chair and beach umbrella set up instead of using the roof as his lookout point. With the former deputy on watch, four of their number headed to town, and Claudia out in the field Xander decided to do some exploring of his own. First he made sure the kids were all occupied

Giles was in the front yard where he'd set up some targets, Laura and Derek each had a crossbow and were practicing with them. Off to the side were other bows for them to try next. Joyce was on the front porch, Seth asleep in her lap as she gently rocked them on the porch swing. Cora, Stiles, and Jordy were sprawled out on the porch floor coloring in some old coloring books they'd found.

He found the rest of the pack on the back porch where Kyle was figuring out the grill. One of the freezers in the basement had needed defrosting so badly that the inside was still cold. Some of the steaks were still good and Kyle was determined to fix them for lunch.

“Who wants to explore the woods with me?”

Heidi and Peter immediately volunteered, neither of them wanted to witness Kyle ruining the steaks. Kyle flipped them off as they dashed away to get their blades and bows, Xander geared up as well before they made their way to the tree line.

“Are we hunting? Or are we truly scouting?”

“Are either of you good enough to hit anything with your bows yet?”

“Heidi is,” Peter informed him proudly.

“So if Heidi sees a squirrel she should shoot it...that way we can have squirrel for supper.”

“Better than burnt to a crisp steak,” Heidi muttered.

“Amen to that sister.”

xxx

Heidi did get a few squirrels on their hike while Peter got a rabbit, after missing a few squirrels of his own. Xander, however, found four goats. A father and mother pair with their two babies. They must have come from a neighboring farm because the mother came right up to him looking for treats as he reached out to pet her. The next thing he knew she was leaning into him hard and nuzzling at him, encouraging him to scratch behind her ears and along her back.

Heidi and Peter watched the whole thing with amusement and Xander shrugged. “Sorry Peter couldn't find any sheep.” Peter rolled his eyes but kept smiling.

“We're not leaving them here?” Heidi asked.

“I'll carry Momma here, if you'll each get a baby? Maybe Daddy there will follow us?”

It was as sound a plan as any and Xander picked up the goat he'd been petting, it startled her a little, and it was a little awkward but he managed. Once he started walking she even put her head on his shoulder so she could watch the others carry her kids. Daddy gave a distressed sound but followed...and soon two other mothers and their twins came out of hiding and started following them.

They got quite a few stares from the others as they came out of the woods with their little goat herd. Tor met them halfway to the barn, gesturing to the building. “You putting them in there?”

“If you'll open the gate to that pen?”

He nodded and went ahead. The barn itself had plenty of storage space on the ground and in the loft for hay, but one corner had a pen that led to a much larger pen outside the barn all along the side of it. It would be perfect for the goats; they would be close to the hay and have plenty of shelter. Xander was really hoping Claudia knew how to milk goats because he had a feeling the kids, not the goat kids, would be happy to have fresh milk.

Tor had the door to the outer pen open and they all trooped inside it and further into the barn where they finally set the goats they'd been carrying down. Rhonda was on the other side of the fence and tossed some hay into the nearest feeding trough while Jonathan poured water from a bucket into a much deeper water trough. The goats made a beeline for the refreshments and settled in like they'd always been there.

“Well...that went well.”

“Kyle got the steaks done, they're even edible.” Jonathan grinned. “That is if you wanted to break for lunch before going back out and finding something else useful.”

“Sounds good.”

 

The steaks were a little charred on the outside, but Jonathan hadn't been wrong; they were good. Claudia took a break from the hay, claiming she was done for the day, and Giles helped her unhook the horses and wipe them down. Really he shouldn't have been surprised that Giles knew a thing or two about horses, the guy was like a living breathing encyclopedia. Then Giles took watch and John made sure his wife had plenty of water and ate something. 

When they were full of steak and sleepy Xander had to ask, “Does anybody know how to milk a goat?”

 

Claudia knew how to milk goats, in theory, and she managed to fill a bucket between the three mothers. Then she showed them how to keep it cool by pouring it into a jug that had once held distilled water, tying a long piece of twine to it, and dropping it down in the well closest to the house. By supper the milk was cool and good so the kids/pups drank it all down with their squirrel and rabbit stew along with that day's pickings from the garden.

Talia, Elden, Buffy, and Oz got back at dark, the back of the truck bed filled with rolls of chain link fencing, solar panels, and car batteries. Xander eyed the haul and Oz had shrugged. “Willow wanted them.”

“She going to get the power up and running?”

Willow grinned as she joined them, giving Oz a kiss, and then bouncing in excitement at the sight of the panels and batteries. “That's the idea Xander. We can't depend on gasoline forever and I've read all about this kind of thing and so has Oz and Jonathan is no slouch.”

“Okay, I'll leave that project in your capable genius hands.” He turned to the others. “There's stew and veggies left...the kids drank all the milk.”

“Milk?” Buffy asked.

“Heidi, Peter, and I found some goats and herded them back to the farm.”

Talia snickered. “No sheep?”

“No, sorry. We'll have eggs in the morning though, come inside and eat.”

xxx

They worked quickly that first week to make the farm their own. Willow situated her new battery bank in a corner of the basement while Elden and Oz got the panels attached to the roof and ran the wires down the side of the house and into one of the basement windows. Willow and Oz truly knew what they were doing because Oz had found all he'd needed to plug the house into the battery bank. Xander was a little upset that the four of them had actually gone over to the next town north of them as well to find everything they needed...but by nightfall they had power and hot water so he was forgiving.

With power meant the fridge and freezers were up and running as well and they'd have a way to store meat since not even Claudia knew how to smoke it or salt it for preservation. She had found a book on canning though; and with the stove working as well as the jars they'd found in the basement and a separate cellar, they really had a chance of making things work. It helped that many of the jars still had food in them so they had extra food to eat while they grew and stored more.

Claudia showed Xander how to hook up the Belgians and cut the rest of the hay in the field. Then they hooked up another contraption to the steady workers and started to bale it so it could be stored in the barn. When the horses started getting tired Xander volunteered Peter and Tor to pull the baler along. Peter grumbled but if horses could handle the heavy equipment so could werewolves; and, to be fair, he and Talia switched and gave them a break. As a result all the hay got baled that day and half of it was put in the barn, the other half went in the next day.

 

It was strange, the ease they fell into farm life under Claudia's tutelage. Everyone had something to do, whether it was tend the garden, the livestock, watch the kids, or work on the fences. It was the fence work, however, that earned them their first visitor; all that loud banging and clanging to get the posts in the ground drew attention.

A young woman on horseback came trotting down the driveway like she belonged there. Cordelia, who was on watch in the old tree house, alerted them with a warning blow of her whistle. This gave Xander and Talia time to meet the woman at the gate of their new chain link fence around the yard.

She greeted them with a nod and a nervous smile. “Saw smoke a few days ago... Heard some kind of work going on today, told my dad I'd check things out.” Her green eyes darted from Xander to Talia, the chain link fence between her and them. “What happened to Abby and Dwight Wilson?”

“They were dead when we found them,” Talia told her, voice full of remorse. “We gave them a proper burial and marked their graves with crosses.”

“So ya'll just took over their farm?”

Xander nodded. “The horses were still in their stalls with no food and they were almost out of water. We've been taking care of them and making repairs.”

“And improvements.” She gestured at the new fence.

“We just want to be safe.” Xander told her.

“That's something we all want...I'm Maggie Greene.”

“Xander Harris, this is Talia Hale.”

“There a lot of you here?”

Xander and Talia shared a look, but before either could respond there were shouts of 'Mom!' and 'Xander!' filling the air as Derek, Cora, and Stiles came on them, grinning like loons. “One of the ducks has babies! Come see!”

The appearance of the kids made Maggie's eyes lose the worst of her nervousness, and she smiled at them brightly. “Abby and Dwight would have liked to see their home filled with kids again.”

Talia smiled back. “Well we certainly did that, though most of the kids are actually teenagers.”

“I resemble that comment.”

“Who's she?” Stiles asked, pointing to Maggie.

“Our neighbor, Maggie Greene.”

Maggie nodded at them. “I'll come by again; you all need anything from town?” Xander and Talia shook their heads. “Later then.” And she rode off.

“She didn't have a gun.” Derek observed.

“Nope...but she had a baseball bat, not a bad weapon of choice considering the world is filled with zombies.”

“Can you come see the ducks now?” Cora asked. Talia said yes and let her daughter lead her by the hand to the duck pond while Xander was dragged there by Derek and Stiles.

xxx

The next morning, before it got too hot, Maggie was back in a gold colored car with an old man in the passenger seat. She stopped the car just outside the chain link fence and the two of them got out, the old man going to the backseat to retrieve some sort of plastic box that reminded Xander of Willow's CSI kit-thingy. Xander and Talia went to the gate and stood waiting.

“Talia, Xander, this is my dad, Hershel.”

“Sir.”

“Mr. Greene.”

“You all can call me Hershel...Xander...that short for Alexander?”

“Yes sir...Hershel.”

“Well, Alexander, Mrs. Hale...I'm a veterinarian by trade and Maggie said the livestock was in okay shape when you showed up...but for my peace of mind I'd like to check out the horses.”

He shared a look with Talia; she nodded, as it seemed neither Greene was armed. Xander nodded back and he unlocked the padlock and chain while Talia swung the gate inward to step out, he followed her not letting them into the yard. “The horses still in the stable?” Hershel asked already walking towards the building.

“They are...but we have goats in the barn.”

Hershel paused to look at him. “Abby and Dwight didn't have goats.”

Xander shrugged. “Found them in the woods.”

There was a clang of metal behind them as Maggie helped Talia close and lock the gate back. “Ya'll sure got this fence up fast.”

“My husband was in charge of the project. Shall we go to the barn first?”

She led the way and Xander let Hershel into the pen where he checked out the Nannies and their kids as the old man called them and the Billy goat. All were in good health and they moved on to the stables where he went over each and every horse. One of the Belgians was pregnant, which made Xander doubly glad that he and some of the others had finished bringing in the hay pulling the cutter and baler themselves.

“You know how to ride Alexander?”

“Xander, please, and no.”

“You've already used them to bring in all this fresh hay so you must know something about horses.”

“Claudia is teaching us everything she knows about farming.”

“Where are you all from?” Maggie asked. “You're certainly not from Georgia.”

“We're from California,” Talia answered. “I lived in the northern part of the state close to the Oregon state line in a town called Beacon Hills. Xander is from the southern part, and a town called Sunnydale.” 

“Both sound like nice places.”

“Until things got bad,” Xander frowned. “I guess the military didn't occupy your town.”

“There was a FEMA center set up at the high school with some soldiers there...we weren't completely unscathed...we've lost people. My wife and stepson. And you?”

Xander shrugged. “No idea where my parents are, I left home last summer and was staying with friends. My uncle didn't make it out of Sunnydale.”

“There were soldiers?”

“They weren't there to help...a friend's mom had a heart attack and instead of getting her help they shot her in the head.”

“My God, that's horrible.”

He nodded. “That friend's boyfriend just happened to be there and knocked the soldiers out and stole their guns. That was the night we left.”

“And your friend? How is she coping?” Hershel asked.

Xander raised a brow. “He's coping as well as can be expected.”

They stared at one another for a long moment. “Son, we're not here to judge your people or to bring you harm. We just wanted to be neighborly and offer my services as a vet...and if any of your people need a doctor I can help them too.”

Xander and Talia shared another look; they were really getting good at this quiet communication thing. He tilted his head toward the house and she nodded, so Talia was the one to answer. “You have to understand we've been through a lot...tracking down the parents and family of some of Xander's friends as we trekked across the country. Dallas and Atlanta were both bad...we only managed to get one of our people back alive.”

“I do understand that.”

A shout from outside made them all jump and Xander raced from the stable first to see what had happened. Jonathan was barely managing to hold up an injured Tor at the back gate around the yard, Peter rushing to undo the lock and chain there. Xander was there at Tor's other side before anyone could blink and picked Tor up in a bridal carry, curling his lip up at the smell on the other teen.

“I got bit.” Tor muttered, more angry than anything. “Son of bitch had zombie buddies and went for Jonathan first. He's okay though.”

Xander only nodded and carried Tor inside where Heidi already had a tarp over the dining room table. He lay Tor down and started stripping him, he had his shirt off, and Jonathan managed to calm the shaking in his hands to untie his shoes. Socks and jeans were slid off and tossed aside leaving the blond teen in his boxers. He'd been bitten twice, once on his side and another on his left calf.

“Oh my God,” Maggie's voice came from the open arch of the room that lead to the living room; she and Hershel had followed them inside. “I'm so sorry.”

Xander found Talia's eyes and she shrugged, leaving the decision up to him. “It’s okay. Tor will be fine.”

Hershel shook his head, though he had a stethoscope in his hands, checking Tor's heartbeat. “No son he won't be. There's no cure yet...when he goes we'll take him to our barn...that's where my wife and son are.”

Xander stared at the old man in horror. “You didn't take them out after they turned?”

“They're sick, son, not monsters.”

“You're not putting Tor in a barn full of zombies,” Jonathan's voice was harsh and his eyes were filled with angry tears. “He's going to be fine.”

“I understand you're concerned for your friend-” Hershal started.

“Boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend then...”

Xander shook his head. “No Hershel, you don't understand. Tor will be fine, he'll be sick for a day, two days tops. Then the fever will break and he'll heal.”

“That's not possible.” Maggie told him.

“It is. Peter there was bitten like a month ago and he's fine. Little Jordy was bitten three times and he's fine. Tor will be the same, because all three are werewolves. The bite from a zombie doesn't kill us.”

“You're talking nonsense Alexander-”

Xander flashed his red eyes at Hershel and held up his left hand as his nails turned to claws and his faced wolfed out. “Tor will be fine. He is a werewolf.” Then he shifted back to human, leaving their guests speechless for a long time. “Get him a pillow and start cooling him down.”

There was a flurry of movement as the packs scattered to do just that. Xander gave Tor's cheek a pat and left him in Jonathan's capable hands. Then he led Hershel and Maggie into the living room where Joyce offered them ice tea and they sat dumfounded on the couch, tea untouched.

“So I guess you have questions.”

“Werewolves are real?” Maggie whispered.

“Maggie, a lot of things are real.”

“Vampires?” She asked.

“Oh yeah.”

Hershel finally managed a question. “How can werewolves be real?”

“You'd have to ask Talia, she might know more about the history of our race since she was born a werewolf.”

“You weren't?” The old man asked.

“Nope, I've only been a wolf for about a year.” He eyed Talia as she joined them in the living room. “Care to help field some questions?”

“Not at all.”

Not much work got done the rest of the day, as they were gathered in the living room telling Maggie and Hershel about their lives before in detail. They stayed until an hour before sunset, that’s when their guests got in Maggie's car and drove back to their neighboring farm.

It was the start of a tentative friendship...though none of the pack was comfortable knowing there was a barn full of zombies just over on the next farm.

xxx

Over the following weeks, as spring became summer, they found themselves relaxing a bit and getting used to the farm. They made plans for a second garden, one a bit further out to plant later in the summer and fall for another crop of potatoes, radishes, turnips, and cabbages. Claudia had found several seed packets tucked safely away in jars where neither mice nor moisture could get to them. The space they wanted to use was already marked off and they'd put a fence around it, they'd break ground for it before the end of the summer.

Hershel came by about once a week to check on their pregnant Belgian, who the kids had named Sunni while the male was Beacon, who so far she stayed in good health. He checked on all the animals, including them; Maggie came with him sometimes with a joke on her lips involving them being wolves and her dad a vet. Talia truly appreciated the joke since her former Emissary had been a vet as well as her family's doctor.

It was good, however, and it put the parents at ease for their kids to be getting medical attention as Stiles and Seth were human after all. Not to mention Buffy, Faith, Jonathan, and Willow as Joyce had taken it upon herself to worry about them all, not just her daughter. Even the teen wolves hadn't gotten out of their first checkups, Hershel wanted to have a baseline for them all that way he'd know if something was up. He'd even monitored Tor after he'd been bitten, amazed at how hot he'd been during the fever and even after it had broken, Talia had to explain that werewolves ran hotter than humans.

Sometimes Maggie came two or three times a week bringing others from the Greene farm with her. Patricia swapped recipes with Joyce, Talia, Elden, and Willow who were their main cooks; though they were all having to learn a bit of everything. Hershel had a suggestion now and then for what might or might not work on the farm and Claudia listened, knowing his advice was invaluable and his experience deeper than her own. Maggie brought Beth and Jimmy to the farm to meet them too as well as Otis, all of them curious about the new neighbors...because the werewolf thing hadn't really been kept a secret.

Otis even offered to take them hunting a couple at a time to teach them how to track the way a human would and Xander didn't see the harm in agreeing. So far they'd only gotten small game when they took the bows out, not wanting to risk using the guns. Gunfire tended to attract zombies. They had gotten a young buck, however, when they hunted without the bows and with Talia and Xander both in alpha-form.

That had been another hurdle to cross with their new neighbors. Maggie and Hershel had shown up on horseback one day, each leading a white and black cow. One an adult and heavy with milk, the other its calf. They'd found a few milk cattle running lose and added them to their herd, bringing one mother and calf to them, sort of sharing the spoils of their new world. Xander and Talia had just come back from that hunt, still in wolf form; Kyle had carried the buck back.

Xander, not thinking, had trotted right up to them to greet them, and luckily no one freaked out too badly. The mother cow had stomped her feet a bit in warning, but Xander crawled the rest of the way on his belly, tongue lolling out, and his tail wagging. It earned him a going over with nose and tongue before she deemed him safe to be around her calf.

Talia, who had hung back, shifted to human form earning a gasp of surprise from Maggie and Hershel. “Xander you're lucky she didn't trample you.”

He trotted away and shifted as well. “Yeah I didn't think that through very well.”

Claudia and John got their new additions situated while Xander and Talia located their clothes. When they joined their guests in the barn Maggie could only stare at them for a long moment. “Can all of you do that? Look like wolves I mean?”

“Only alphas have a wolf form.” Xander told her.

“Well...that might not be entirely true.” Talia told them with a smile.

He'd blinked and reached over to poke her in the arm accusingly. “Since when?”

She laughed and turned her gaze to the calf where it was playing with goat-kids. “We have legends that describe betas achieving a wolf form...sort of an evolution process...but I've never met any that managed it.”

“Huh. You know it would be nice if I knew a bunch of these wolfy tidbits of knowledge beforehand.”

Talia only smiled at him.

 

Because there were so many on their farm when Hershel requested help bringing in his first hay crop they'd agreed, they ended up helping repair his fences too. In return Patricia and Beth made them pies and cobbler and helped them with their canning. Their tentative friendship grew stronger...but every time Xander and the other wolves were on the Greene farm they couldn't help but be on edge.

They could hear the zombies in the barn and it was extremely creepy.

xxx

Willow wanted more solar panels and a second battery bank, so they located a Home Depot in the largest town which was pretty far away. They took two vehicles, John's truck and Oz's van; John even went along since he was such a good shot and had his rifle and sidearm. The rest of them had their bows and blades and were as quiet as they could be, parking at the loading dock behind the big box store.

John and Buffy waited with the vehicles, armed and ready, as Xander went in with Oz, Tor, Rhonda, and Peter. Willow had stayed behind because she, Jonathan, Giles, and Elden were designing windmills to put around the farm and add to their power supply, but Oz knew what she wanted and needed from the store.

It was quiet inside, at least in the back where only the employees had been allowed. They came across a total of two zombies, one in the break room and one in the manager's office. The rest of the store wasn't as quiet or empty, and it took them two hours to track and kill every zombie in the place. They were covered in dark rotting blood and brain matter by the time they were done and had to hose off in the outdoor gardening area...then they raided the employee lockers for clothing.

When they finally got to the shopping part of their trip, they discovered some shelves were completely bare. There wasn't a single gas can in the place; they'd sold out before the store had been abandoned. There was, however, plenty of lumber and all kinds of wire fencing, so they chained the doors of the store shut and barricaded them so they'd be able to come back.

Oz found all the batteries he needed and enough solar panels to fill the back of John's truck and his van, with a few having to be left behind. While they were there Xander grabbed a few light bulbs and plants that hadn't died from the garden section, and then they were packing it up and locking the loading doors behind them.

 

And as successful as their trip had been...things hadn't gone so well on the farm. Cordelia had been out with Maggie on a supply run to the closest town and they'd run into a small group of the dead. Maggie had kept some at bay with her baseball bat and Cordy had shot a few with her bow before she'd been dragged off her horse. She'd gotten the last of them with her ax, but she'd been bitten. The horse was fine.

She was already caught up in the fever when Xander's group got back. Maggie was beside herself with grief, she knew Cordelia was human and was ready for the worst.

Xander felt his eyes tear up as he followed the scent of Cordy's blood and pain into the house where she was propped up on some pillows on the living room couch. The bite on her shoulder was bandaged and she looked too pale in her black tank top and shorts.

“I messed up...but I got them all in the end.”

He couldn't stop the tears as they fell, they might not be together anymore, might not be in love anymore, but he wasn't ready to lose her. “Cordy.”

“I'm okay.”

“Don't say goodbye...Do you want to live?”

She managed to smack his arm though the movement hurt her. “That's a stupid question Xander.”

“I could give you the bite.”

Her hazel eyes widened in surprise, like that hadn't even occurred to her. “Oh...that's why you asked...that makes sense now.” Then she offered him a smile. “You're already my alpha, might as well go all wolfy and enjoy the experience.”

So he bit her.

At first Talia was afraid it wouldn't take because Cordelia spent the night throwing up a nasty black sludge. Something that happened when the human body rejected the bite and the turning. However in the early hours of the next morning the black sludge turned clear, her fever broke, and her eyes flashed gold.

It was cause for a party, and they were up for any reason to celebrate. Not only were the wolves immune to the bite of the dead...but biting the bitten could save them. They needed that hope in their apocalyptic world, and they took it and held it close.

XXX


	5. Chapter 4

Here is Sanctuary  
calikocat

Word count: 4961

A/N: Okay, so when I first watched season 1 I got all these chills from the Jim scenes...the guy was a freakin' seer. He had to have been, so I played on that.

Chapter 4

XXX

Before the world ended none of them would have considered themselves overly superstitious; no one believed in magic or science fiction, at least until the dead started to rise and eat the living. Now things were different, it was a whole new brutal world. So who was to say that superstitions couldn't be true...who was to say dreams couldn't be reality...or rather nightmares. Even so...no one liked to think about the premonition that Jim had before he'd been bitten. The dead eating the living was horrible...but a man's dream coming true was, in some ways, a hundred times more terrifying.

He'd been on that hill for hours; digging holes because of a dream he'd had, a dream he hadn't even remembered. Poor Jim had nearly keeled over on that 100 degree day, because he'd known somehow that they would need those holes...those graves.

Everyone remembered his voice that night after the chaos of the attack; many of their friends were dead, devoured by the Walkers. Andrea crouched by Amy's body while sobbing uncontrollably. Jim's voice had been loud, shocked, when he said, “I remember my dream, why I dug the holes.” His unfocussed eyes had swept over the remains of their camp and shot chills through them all.

There were other things he'd said, and they'd remember every single word later...each as haunting as his revelation of the graves had been. His words, when they'd left him on the side of the road on their way to the CDC, however...made no sense at all. At least at the time.

They were starting to walk away from him, where they'd left him sitting against a tree. His words were steady, though his eyes were clouded, as if he were caught in a vision. Maybe he had been.

“Find Alexander and his wolves.” They all turned to look back at Jim in confusion, he kept on speaking, “They'll keep you all safe. The dead can't get you if you run with the wolves.” His eyes cleared and he smiled. “Good luck.”

xxx

Xander was minding his own business, taking a wolfy stroll in the woods, and enjoying being one with nature. It might sound ridiculous, putting it like that, but he hadn't taken the time to explore the woods in his wolf form at all since they'd made their new home. Other than a couple of hunting trips that is. He wasn't even paying attention to his surroundings, something he'd kick himself for later, which is why, as he rounded a tree, he was startled by a blonde girl.

The poor thing was exhausted, sweating and feverish, and she had an ugly bite on her shoulder and a fresher one on her arm. Her eyes widened when she saw him, making him pause, and her scent showed she was scared out of her mind. There was a crack and shuffling behind her that made her turn to look at the zombie coming in close, fresh blood dripping from its teeth. She shrieked and stumbled past Xander; falling, tripping over a root, but she kept going, rolling and scooting away, as she eyed the dead man in fear.

Xander launched himself at the corpse, slamming it into a tree where its' head connected with the trunk and it stopped. He backed off and it twitched a hand toward him, so he shifted back to human form and plunged his claws into the front of its skull, scrambling its brain, and killing it for good. The girl had stopped trying to get away, lying on the ground behind him, but kept sobbing.

He stared at her and crept forward but her eyes darted about, looking for an escape, and he took wolf form again. She stopped and stared as he whined before crawling the rest of the way to her on his belly, tail wagging now and then. When he got to her he rose up and licked her tears away, she threw her arms around him and hung on tight as she cried.

He let her cry until her tears dried, but her fever was getting worse, and she grew weaker with every moment. She let go of him finally and leaned back against a tree, eyes dazed and sad. Slowly he nosed at the older bite on her shoulder; it was hours old. How the poor kid had kept going was a mystery to him.

“Another one bit me...I got away...” She hiccuped a dry sob. “When people get bit they die. Jim died.”

He whined at her and licked her cheek again, and then he backed up and shifted to human form, keeping one leg up to cover himself for her comfort. “Not always.”

“What-what are you?”

“I'm a werewolf...my name is Xander. You?”

“I'm Sophia. I'm twelve.”

Xander smiled at her and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear so she could see him better. “Sophia, do you want to live?”

“I can't... Not now. I got bit.”

“Werewolves are immune to the dead. I could make you a werewolf, and you'd live.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I had to save a friend a while back because she was bitten too.”

Sophia managed a smile, though her heart was getting weaker. “She's alive?”

“Yeah, and happy.”

“I'd be werewolf?”

“Mmhm.”

“How does it work?”

Xander grimaced. “Well...I'd have to bite you...with my wolfy teeth.”

She considered it and nodded. “I don't want to be a Walker...I don't want to die.”

He shifted to wolf form again, his body reshaping itself and fur flowing over him, and Sophia reached out to pet him. She could barely move her arm now, her body and life fading fast. Xander lowered his head and latched onto her shoulder over the zombie bite and bit down with his teeth, biting deep. Deeper than the dead had bitten. He released her shoulder and went for the other wound, biting over it, making it deeper. One more time he bit her, clenching down on her leg, just in case, giving her every bit of power he could. Every chance he could and then he waited.

Sophia's breath came lighter and slower until it stuttered out, but before he could howl in mourning, or defeat, her eyes snapped open. They were a bright and glowing blue. She breathed in deeply, fangs filled her mouth, and claws grew from her fingers.

“Am I dead?”

He shook his furry head and licked her cheek, getting a giggle out of her, and her wolf face smoothed into her human one. Then he nudged her to her feet and urged her to climb on his back, ever so glad that he was much bigger than an ordinary wolf. He carried her like that all the way back to the farm; she barely stayed awake, practically lying down as he walked. She was weak from her ordeal, and if she was anything like Cordy she'd need a day to recover. Her wounds weren't even healing yet, which meant the fever was going to continue for quite a while.

She'd be safe at the farm and able to heal surrounded by her new pack...only...how the heck was he supposed to find her people? Where had she even come from anyway?

xxx

“Here's the deer,” Kyle said as they approached the downed buck, he knelt by it and checked for a pulse. “Killed in one shot; and I can smell Otis. It was him that shot it.”

“Kyle.”

He looked up at Rhonda; she was facing away from him, staring at the ground. “I know why there were screams.”

“It have anything to do with the human blood I smell?”

She nodded and pointed. “There's blood here too, human, the same scent we were tracking. I smell three people we don't know, all male...the blood belongs to a boy I think.”

He looked at the dead buck and back to where the other blood stain was. “Oh shit.” She whirled to look at him as he rolled the buck over and they stared at the bullet hole in horror before their eyes met again. “The bullet went through.”

“Let's go.”

He nodded, threw the buck over his shoulder, and followed her all the way to Hershel's house. Kyle didn't necessarily need to follow Rhonda, the smell of human blood was so strong all he'd have to do was follow his nose and he'd have found his way to the house.

“What exactly are we gonna do when we get there?” Kyle called out to her, just steps behind as they practically flew over the ground.

“Anything we can to help!” She tossed over her shoulder.

He grunted. “You'd think Xander would have come running when he heard the screams.”

“Maybe he found another hurt kid!”

Kyle tried not to laugh, it wasn't the best time to do so; but really, what were the odds of Xander finding another wounded kid in the woods after Otis had accidentally shot one?

 

By the time they were in sight of the house, Otis was at his old blue truck, tossing a backpack in the back. With him were two men they didn't recognize and one they did, Hershel; one of the men wore a uniform covered in blood. Rhonda waved and called out to them, both of them slowing down and trying to run at human speed.

Hershel waved back and stared at them as they came up to the truck, breathing heavily for show. “We found the buck...and a separate bloodstain. What happened?”

“I didn't see the boy until the deer was on the ground,” Otis' voice trembled, “There's no time to go into details... This fella and I are gonna go to the high school.”

“High school?” Kyle asked.

“That's where the FEMA shelter was, before it was overrun. Otis is going to get the supplies I need for the surgery. The boy still has five bullet fragments in him.”

Rhonda looked at Otis, and the dark haired man who was about to climb in the passenger side of the truck. “I thought it was a death trap.”

“I've got to try, I've got to try and make it right.”

Rhonda looked back at Kyle. “What do you think?”

“You've already decided to go haven't you?” He asked her, she grinned in return, so Kyle sighed and put the buck in the truck bed. “We can use the deer to distract the zombies, the fresh meat will keep at least some of them busy.”

Rhonda nodded and faced the men. “We'll keep the rest off of you.”

“No offense, but I can't ask a couple of kids to risk their lives like this.” This came from the man in the bloody uniform. “Not even for my son's life.”

Rhonda climbed in beside the buck. “We'll be fine.”

“This isn't a game, you know that right?” The man with darker hair, the volunteer going with Otis, was frowning at them. “There's no room for screw ups or play time.”

Kyle climbed in the bed with Rhonda. “The faster we leave the faster we can get back.”

“You don't even have a gun, either one of you.”

Kyle met Rhonda's eyes and she shrugged with a little smile. “How much trouble you think we'll be in if we tell?”

“We'll worry about it later.” Kyle told her, and then he looked at the strangers. “We can handle the zombies better than you can, and without guns.”

“Why is that?” Asked bloody uniform man.

“We're werewolves,” Rhonda told him with a toothy grin, her eyes glowing blue. Both men took a step back, eyes wide, and she held up her hands showing her claws. “We'll handle the zombies, get in the truck and let’s go.”

Otis nodded and moved around to do just that. “Yes ma'am, you'll get no arguments from me.”

“Werewolves?” The officer asked, “How?”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Dude, we're offering to help your son. Just accept the werewolf thing so we can get going.”

The man nodded and held out his hand. “I'd like to know your names then, since you’re doing this.”

Kyle leaned forward to shake his hand. “Kyle DuFours.”

He shook Rhonda's next since she'd put her claws away. “Rhonda Kelley.”

“Well Kyle, Rhonda, I'm Rick Grimes, I thank you for doing this...my son Carl means everything to me...watch your backs.” Then he turned to his friend. “Be careful Shane...”

“Always man.” They clapped hands and did a one armed hug before Shane got in the truck and Otis started it up, and then they were off.

xxx

Talia was at the front gate, around the yard, to let him in; she locked the door behind him and took Sophia from his back. “There was a gunshot and people screaming. Kyle and Rhonda went to investigate it. It sounded like Otis' gun.”

Xander took human form again and stretched, popping his back. “I heard it, but I couldn't take a look myself while Sophia was with me.” 

“You gave her the bite?”

“She'd already been bitten.”

The older Alpha nodded in comprehension. “Ah, shall we?” Talia started toward the house and Xander walked in step, only getting ahead of her to open the door.

“Incoming!” He called out. “Get a bucket!”

Cordelia met them in the living room, raising a brow at his nakedness but she already had a bucket in hand. “Do I even want to know?”

“The bite's already taken...but she may throw up. She was bitten like you were.”

Her eyes softened and she fluffed the pillow on the couch before Talia laid Sophia down on it. “Poor kid, she's not gonna like the puking part.”

“At least we know she'll be okay... Just have to get that freaking zombie toxin out of her system.”

“Human children bring home stray kittens and puppies... Why is it you end up bringing home stray children and turning them into puppies?” Peter asked from the dining room, a cup of water in his hands, “And do you think you could stop flashing us all and put some clothes on?”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Shut up Petey and keep that water nearby, she's going to need it.”

xxx

The sun was just starting to go down when they got to the high school. The building itself was on top of a hill so Otis had parked at the bottom of that hill where it was clear. The four of them crept up the hill with Kyle staying further back since he was carrying the fresh meat. Otis and Shane stopped to crouch behind a patrol car; Rhonda was behind the Jeep beside it. Her eyes were a little wide at first when Otis told them they had to get to the metal building across the parking lot.

There was a whole herd of zombies between them and the supplies they needed. Rhonda gave him a grin and he answered it. Shane just shook his head and crept around the patrol car so he could reach inside and pop open the trunk, then he crept back around and did a quick search. He gave them a triumphant grin when he found a handful of road flares. He and Otis lit the flares and tossed them on the far side of the lot. The noise and light attracted the dead like moths to a porch light, and gave them the chance they needed to slip inside the building.

Rhonda got out her machete and shield from the backpack she'd carried. Somehow they each had gotten out of Sunnydale with shields, which were really useful; not just to keep from being bitten...but for bashing in heads. Just because they'd survive a zombie bite didn't mean they wanted to get bitten, the bites did slow them down and make them sick after all.

Kyle's dagger was in a sheath on his hip, ready whenever he'd need it; he got his shield out though and put the backpack back on like Rhonda had. So there'd be something else between their teeth and his skin. Then he moved in the same direction the flares had been thrown, listening to the movements of Shane and Otis, so he was able to time his grand entry seconds before they opened the door.

He jumped on top of the nearest car and howled, drawing the attention of the dead to him, they all turned and stared for moment before they started shambling toward him. The door of the metal building opened and the men stared at him in shock.

“Soup's on, come and get it!” Kyle shouted as he danced an improvised waltz with the dead buck, stomping his feet on the roof of the car. The herd was on him in a minute and he tossed them the fresh meat and then got his dagger and shield ready, bashing the first one to go for him in the head, scattering its brains all over the car.

For a second Rhonda's eyes flashed blue at him in the growing darkness, he flashed his own wolf eyes, glad to see the men had a clear path out of the lot. Rhonda took out the few that tried to follow them with her machete. Kyle howled again and jumped to the next car leading the herd further away. He did this one car at a time while the rest of his group made it out of the lot and down the hill.

When the truck horn sounded loud, he knew they'd gotten there safe and were waiting on him. So he reached into his pocket and grabbed the grenade out, thankful for Xander's habit of robbing the military blind, before he pulled the pen and threw it in the middle of the herd. Then he jumped as high and far as he could; clearing the lot and took off running.

He was halfway down the hill when the grenade went off and he stumbled a bit but managed to reach the truck unscathed. He jumped in the back with Rhonda and the supplies. “Go go go!”

Otis floored it and they were off. Shane yelled at them through the back window, “What the hell was that?”

“Grenade.” Kyle grinned at him.

“You are some special brand of crazy, Kyle DuFours.”

He and Rhonda both cackled, kissed, and grinned at Shane. “Wait till you meet our Alpha.”

xxx

“Did anyone else hear that?” Joyce asked. She was standing on the front porch, rifle in hand, as her turn on watch had ended at sundown and she'd only made it as far as the porch swing.

Giles was the one now on top of Oz's van, in the lawn chair; it was the only vehicle they kept in the front yard. “It sounded like an explosion of some sort.”

“Grenade,” Xander called out as he joined Joyce on the porch. “It was a grenade.” He frowned. “Kyle tends to take one with him when he and Rhonda go out. They should have been back by now.”

Talia nodded, still inside the house, her eyes worried, just as Xander figured his were. “Perhaps Hershel needed their help?”

“Or maybe they volunteered for something crazy...that grenade went off in the other direction. A few miles away from his farm or ours.”

“Sounds like something they'd do...or you.” Cordelia passed by Talia and opened the screen door to pull him back inside. “Supper's ready.”

“Do you want to send someone to Hershel's?” Talia asked.

He let Cordelia pull him in and toward the dining room. “We'll give them a little while longer. Someone get Giles a plate of food.”

xxx

There was an unfamiliar vehicle outside Hershel's house when Otis pulled up but they didn't worry about it. Instead they grabbed the bags of supplies and jumped out of the truck before Otis had even shut off the engine.

“Hershel!” Kyle yelled; they were across the yard and in the door in a second. “We're back!”

Hershel was a flurry of movement then as he started to get set up; Rick stared at Kyle and Rhonda in happy surprise. “You made it back...Shane? Otis?”

“The slow pokes are just now getting out of the truck.” Rhonda told him putting down the bags she carried. “Are you going to need us Hershel?”

“No, the two of you have done enough today risking your lives to bring the equipment and the men back in one piece.”

Kyle tilted his head toward the front door. “You want us to send one of the alphas your way, just in case?”

“Alphas? Just in case of what?” A woman they'd never seen before asked.

“If you want...though that should be up to the boy's parents,” Hershel told them, “Now you've got to give me some room, all of you.”

Rick herded them out of the bedroom and let Hershel work; Otis moved past them to join Hershel and help. They gathered in the sitting room with Shane and the woman who asked them again, “What was he talkin' about?”

“We're werewolves...if the surgery doesn't work and he starts to slip away one of our Alphas could give him the bite and save him.”

“Give him the bite?”

“Lori-”

“Rick they think they're monsters!”

Kyle rolled his eyes and took his beta-form, drawing their stares and shock. “We're not monsters, we don't hurt or kill people unless they try to hurt or kill us first.” His features smoothed back to his human face.

“So why couldn't you make Carl a werewolf, save him?” Shane asked.

“We're betas,” Rhonda told him, “Betas can't turn people into werewolves; only an Alpha can do that. There are two back at our farm.” A shout of pain caught their attention, it came from the kitchen. “Who else is here?”

“A member of our group was cut real bad...Patricia is stitching him up.”

Rhonda moved passed them all to the kitchen where Patricia was indeed stitching up a bad cut on a black man's arm. Maggie was holding his arm down as he huffed through the pain. She reached for his arm with a gentle smile before putting her hand on his shoulder...and second later he relaxed while inky black lines traveled up her veins and disappeared before they reached her own shoulder.

Everyone stared; Shane, Rick, and his wife crowded behind Kyle in the doorway. “Oh my God,” She whispered.

Rhonda shrugged and moved away, only to sink in the kitchen chair beside the injured man. “He'll be okay for a few hours.”

“How did you do that... It doesn't hurt at all now.” He was looking at her in awe...maybe a little fear.

An Asian man, who was not much older than them, was leaning against the sink and holding a glass of juice. His eyes were wide. “Whoa.”

“She took his pain,” Kyle announced, “Just a little something we werewolves can do.”

The black man nodded at Rhonda. “Thank you.”

She smiled and nodded at him before she stood. “Ready?”

“Yeah...think we'll be in trouble for not checking in?” He asked her.

“As long as we're not hurt then Xan will forgive us.”

“You sure you two can make it back on foot?” Maggie asked. They both laughed, eyes flashing blue, and Maggie snorted. “Right, what's out there is no match for a couple of crazy werewolves.”

“We'll see you tomorrow Maggie.” Rhonda moved passed the crowd in the doorway and headed for the front door.

Kyle stared at Rick and his wife. “Do you want one of our alphas here? For your son?”

The woman shook her head, staring at him in horror. “I won't have my son be a monster.”

Kyle sucked in a breath, nodded, and followed Rhonda out while trying to let her words roll off his back. They'd been monsters once upon a time, but that hadn't been their fault, hadn't been their choice. They weren't monsters anymore.

xxx

“They're back!” Giles called out from his post, “Rhonda and Kyle are back!”

Xander was out the door in a flash the second he heard the chain on the front gate rattling. He was across the yard and to that gate, key in hand, to let his betas in; and he dragged them through before he chained the gate closed behind them. Then he turned to them, looked them over and felt for bites. They smelled like deer blood and the dead, adrenalin, and victory.

“You two want to tell me what happened?”

“It’s a longer story than you'd think.” Kyle smiled. “But Rhonnie needs food, after everything else she took someone’s pain.”

He nodded and gave them a gentle push toward the house. “Go, fill your stomachs and tell me everything. Then we're all cuddling in a pile close to our newest wolf.”

“New wolf?”

“You guys first, then I'll tell you about the little girl I found.”

Kyle's jaw dropped. “You seriously found another injured kid in the woods?”

“Another?” Xander asked. “You dealt with an injured kid?”

Rhonda giggled tiredly. “We should have known.”

 

He finally got them inside where they ate their fill of the cooling food and told him everything they'd seen, heard, and done. Xander rubbed at his eyes, wishing they had radios they could use to avoid worry like he'd experienced. The not knowing what his betas were up to, if they needed back up or not, was taxing.

“I'm glad you made good use of the grenade... Just remember we don't have that many of them.” Then he waved them off toward the downstairs bathroom. “Shower before you join the puppy pile.” They left the dining room and Xander started to relax in his chair, but he heard Sophia throwing up in the living room. So he stood and made his way to her.

She was pale, eyes glowing blue, as she hovered over the bucket; he reached out to hold it for her. He used his other hand to hold her hair away from her face. When she was done he handed the bucket to Cordy so she could rinse it and he helped Sophia drink some water.

“You'll feel better in the morning, I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Cordelia went through the same thing when she was bitten.”

Sophia managed a smile, and drifted to sleep.

xxx

There was a feeling of victory and hard earned relaxation in the house. Carl was out of danger, the surgery had been a success, and T-Dog was out of danger. Maggie, however, couldn't let Lori's cruel words go, not even after what she and Rick had been through that day.

The Asian boy, Glenn, was on the couch by T-Dog when he let out a nervous laugh. “Werewolves. That's amazing.”

“Can we not talk about them?” Lori asked.

“I just-”

“They're not monsters,” Maggie said, a glare aimed at Lori. “They've done nothin' to hurt us, scare us... Hell they could have taken this farm from us. Instead they made their home at an empty farm; they're our only living neighbors. They're good people.”

“They're not human,” Lori protested.

“Maybe not...but don't you call them monsters again, especially not in front of the kids, the little ones.”

That got their attention and for a second Rick looked as horrified as Lori. “They bit kids?”

“No, all the kids that are wolves, were born werewolves.”

“Not the teenagers, they were all bitten, but they wanted to be werewolves,” Hershel said, joining them for a moment. “Maggie's right though, don't call them monsters, most of them aren't even old enough to drink. They're just trying to find a safe place in this world...and they've traveled farther than most to find it.”

“What do you mean?” Shane asked.

“Those kids, and their people, are all from California. They crossed the country trying to find some of their people who were out of state when things got bad. Daniel's parents, along with his aunt and uncle, were lost in Dallas...they barely got little Jordy out alive. When they found him he was running from his parents, they'd been turned. Jordy is only four, he was born a werewolf.”

“My God.”

“Willow's parents were supposed to be in Atlanta...but after Dallas she didn't have the heart to enter the city and look for them,” Maggie told them.

“And poor Rhonda...her folks were up in New York and she decided not to risk any of their group on such a fruitless trip.”

Lori was crying now. “They...they said they'd be back tomorrow?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“I'll apologize then.”

xxx

Dale watched Daryl enter the RV with a shake of his head and his heart fell a bit. Sophia was running out of time. Carol was beside herself...and all of them were losing hope. Somehow that's what Sophia had become to them...hope.

But even without hope, he needed to make things right with Andrea...so he gave her gun back to her. Maybe that would be a step in repairing the rift between them.

Maybe with dawn hope would return and they'd find Sophia.

XXX


	6. Chapter 5

Here is Sanctuary  
calikocat

Word count: 6258

Chapter 5

XXX

“Mommy!”

Xander flailed about, caught between Buffy and Jonathan, and underneath Derek and Stiles. The sleeping boys rolled off of him and onto Buffy who grunted and gave Xander a sleepy glare.

“Sorry.” He offered her a smile but she just rolled over and curled around Derek and Stiles, who were still asleep. With a shake of his head he crawled over his pack, careful not to wake anyone else as he made it to Sophia on the couch. They'd left her there for the night, Cora cuddled up to her side.

Now though Sophia was sitting up and crying. Xander lifted her up, nudging Cora a bit so he could settle on the couch with Sophia in his lap, and Cora leaning against them. “Hey Sophia.”

“My mommy is out there.”

“We'll look for her today... Do you know where she'd be?”

“The highway... where all those cars are.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that funky traffic snarl. I know where it is. We'll go there after we go see Hershel.”

“Hershel?”

“He's a doctor...a vet. He can check you out and then we'll go look for your mom. What's her name?”

“Carol Peletier.”

“Well Sophia Peletier...I'm Xander Harris, it’s nice to meet you now that your fever's down and you're fully conscious.”

She smiled a little. “It’s nice to meet you too Mr. Harris.”

He made a face, crossing his eyes. “None of that Mr. Harris stuff, I'm only 18, and I’m way too young to be called Mr. Harris.”

“You're only six years older than me?”

“Crazy huh.” She nodded. “So, how do you feel about breakfast?” Her stomach rumbled and she blushed. “I'll take that as an enthusiastic 'yes please'.” He stood with her in his arms and he carried her to the kitchen.

“Um...Xander...”

“Yeah?”

“I have to pee.”

He grinned and put her down before showing her to the bathroom. “Come find me in the kitchen when you're done. There will be eggs and whatever else I can find.”

“Okay...thank you.”

“Don't thank me until after you've survived my cooking.”

 

Luckily he only had to cook the eggs because Joyce was already awake, and she and Elden were making pancakes. He wasn't sure just who had found the pancake mix, or when, but Xander wasn't going to complain...especially not when he got a side of steak on his plate.

“When did we kill one of the cows?” He had to ask as he put eggs on Sophia's plate and went around the table making sure each of the kids had some of the scrambled fluffy goodness.

“We didn't, the steaks are from Hershel. Maggie brought them last week,” Faith said with a yawn. “But we might want to start fattening up a few of those young bulls for the freezer.”

“Freezers,” Willow corrected her. “Once I get another battery bank set up we need to go back to Home Depot and get some freezers.”

Xander blinked at her. “We already have two battery banks, Wills. One in the basement and one in the laundry room. Where would you put a third?”

“The stable...actually there's a room over there, almost a mini apartment.” She blushed. “Oz and I want to fix it up for ourselves.”

“And me?” Jordy asked, big puppy eyes looking up at Willow.

She smiled and leaned down to kiss his hair. “And you Jordy.”

“Rhonda and I want the tree house.” Kyle announced, making a beeline for the coffee pot. “Elden said it can be fixed up, wired up, and insulated. Maybe even a small battery bank for it too and a couple of solar panels on the roof.”

Xander snickered. “Okay Tarzan, as long as you and Jane don't mind someone hanging out on your balcony when they're on watch.”

“Oz and I can totally get you two set up with batteries and solar panels, we haven't even hit the Lowe's yet.” Willow grinned.

Xander groaned. “You want more solar panels for the barn and a fourth battery bank don't you?”

“Maybe...and maybe a few more windmills. Anything to keep us from relying on that old gasoline generator.”

“Hmm.” He looked around as his pack and Talia's moved in and out of the kitchen, retrieving food and drink before heading to the dining room, while he and the kids stayed at the kitchen table. “Anyone else wanting to move out and spread out?”

“Me and Peter!” Heidi called from the dining room.

“And where exactly would you go?”

She peeked into the kitchen and batted her lashes at him. “You know those little cabins on display in the Home Depot parking lot?”

“You were never at the Home Depot, how do you know such things exist?”

“I told her obviously,” Peter sounded smug, though Xander couldn't see him in the other room. “If we could tow a few back to the farm we won't be so crowded in here.”

“That's an awfully big project.”

“Winter will be on us before we know it Xander... We could make it a supply run as well. The bigger town may have more options.” Claudia murmured.

Sophia, who had quietly cleaned every bite of egg, pancake, and steak from her plate, spoke softly, looking at Xander with big blue sad eyes, “Is there enough room for us too?”

“I think we can squeeze you and your mom in.” Xander smiled at her.

She bit her lip, suddenly nervous. “We're part of a group.”

“How many are in your group Sophia?” Talia asked her, kneeling beside her.

“Eleven... if you count me.”

“That's a lot more mouths to feed,” Kyle muttered and Xander shot him a glare.

“I guess the sooner we get all our little projects done the sooner we can move everyone in.” Then he looked to Talia. “What do you think?”

“We can at least give them shelter here.”

“We all have tents,” Sophia told them, “We could stay in our tents.” 

“The yard is big enough for that.” Claudia nodded. “At least until it starts to get cold.”

“Okay.” Xander sat back and drank the last of his coffee. “Sophia and I will go to Hershel's and then look for her people on the highway.”

Rhonda, who was leaning against the counter and eating off of Kyle's plate, nearly dropped her fork. “Wait, Sophia...is there a black guy and a cute Asian guy in your group?”

Sophia nodded. “T-Dog and Glenn.”

“What is it Rhonda?”

“Some of her people are at Hershel’s...The boy that got shot is one of them.”

Sophia whined in fear and flashed wolfy blue eyes at her. “Is Carl okay?”

Rhonda nodded. “Hershel was getting ready to operate when we came home; your friend is in good hands.”

Then Sophia looked at Xander, eyes all watery and worried. “Can we go now?”

He leaned forward and put his forehead to hers, rumbling deep in his chest to comfort her. “Yeah, we can go now.”

xxx

“How long has this girl been missing?” Hershel asked him.

Rick was leaning heavily against a porch post, still weak from giving Carl so much blood. “This will be day three.”

“We may not find her at all Rick; you know her odds as well as I do,” Shane grumbled.

Hershel shook his head, willing to keep their hope alive. “I'll send Maggie over to the pack; if you have something with her scent on it they'll be able to track her better than any bloodhound.”

Shane was frowning but Rick offered him a tired and grateful smile. “I'd appreciate that.” He nodded toward the incoming vehicles, Daryl on his bike followed by a car from the traffic snarl and the RV. “So will her mother. So will Carl...I lied to him; told him Sophia was okay.”

“You did what you had to do to keep him calm. He'll forgive you for that.”

“I hope so.” Rick made his way down the steps as his people parked their vehicles and came toward him.

“How is he?” Dale asked.

“He'll pull through.”

The front door opened behind him and he heard Lori's voice. “If it weren't for Hershel and his people...Carl wouldn't have made it.”

“And Shane,” Rick added.

Shane shook his head. “I didn't do much, just helped Otis carry the supplies Hershel needed. It was those kids, Kyle and Rhonda, who got us in and out with no trouble at all. Kyle kept the Walkers busy while Rhonda watched our backs...they didn't even have guns on them.”

“What kids?” Daryl asked, “The old man's?”

Hershel shook his head with smile. “Those two aren't my people. They're staying on a neighboring farm, used to belong to Abby and Dwight Wilson they're gone now. They're decent people, those kids; the whole group really.”

“A couple of kids took on some Walkers for you?” Andrea asked.

“Not just kids,” Lori told her. “Werewolves, I saw one of them change myself.” She looked down, ashamed. “I called them monsters to their faces after they'd done nothing but help, and I regret that.”

Hershel nodded toward the driveway where a station wagon was approaching the house. “Looks like you'll get your chance to apologize, at least to Rhonda and Kyle's Alpha.”

The station wagon came to a stop near their caravan and a boy, who couldn't be older than eighteen, got out from the driver's side. He waved with a friendly smile and called out, “Carol Peletier?”

Carol jerked in surprise. “I'm Carol.”

“Got a surprise for you, ma'am.” His smile turned to a grin as the passenger door burst open and then Sophia was running toward her.

“Mommy!”

“Sophia!”

Sophia nearly knocked Carol down, but neither seemed to care once the little girl was in her mother's arms. Both of them sank to their knees, tears streamed down their faces, and they clutched at one another while sobbing uncontrollably.

“It seems Alexander that you and your wolves are full of miracles.”

The boy, Alexander, made a face. “Hershel, I told you, it’s Xander.” Then he shrugged. “Nothing but right place right time, nothing mystical about it.”

“Except you're a werewolf.” The old man smiled.

“Yeah except that part.” He moved closer and nodded at them all in greeting. “Rhonda and Kyle said they had a busy night?”

“You could say that.” Shane held out his hand. “Shane Walsh.” Xander shook his hand and Shane asked, “Where'd your boy get a grenade?”

Xander grinned. “I don't feel comfortable revealing that information to a man wearing a police cap.”

They released hands and Shane smirked. “You steal it?”

“I admit nothing.”

“Hell kid, no one cares about that kinda thing anymore, and your people saved me and Otis last night.”

“Looks like they saved Sophia too,” Daryl spoke up, “You really a werewolf?”

“That Rhonda girl took away my pain, they're real.” T-Dog snorted. “This ain't like your chupacabra story, Daryl.”

“I know what I saw.”

Xander blinked at Daryl in surprise. “I've never seen a chupacabra before, heard of them though.”

“Kid you don't want to take his story seriously,” T-Dog told him.

“Sir, I'm a teenage werewolf, and even when I was still human I was dealing with vampires, demons, and all sorts of nasties on a nightly basis.”

“Why?” Lori asked.

“Didn't want to get eaten.” He looked around at them all. “So... Introductions. I'm Xander Harris, and I'm an Alpha werewolf. My pack and I, as well as another pack, live on the next farm over. Two of my betas, Rhonda and Kyle, apparently helped your people out last night. Meanwhile, I was helping Sophia...and we need to talk about that.”

Carol's tears had eased and her sobs died away. “Why? My baby is safe.”

He turned to focus on Carol. “She is, now, but when I found her she'd been bitten.”

“Oh God.”

“She's okay now though.”

“Come on kid, everyone knows that when you get bit, you get sick, and you die,” Daryl told him.

“Unless an alpha werewolf bites them.” Everyone seemed to freeze. “Giving Sophia the bite was the only way to save her. She'd been bitten twice, one bite was hours old when I found her, and she was already running a fever.”

“My, my daughter is a werewolf now?” Carol asked, “Is that what you're telling me?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“I'm sorry Mommy,” Sophia said softly, eyes glowing blue. “I didn't want to die.”

Carol stared at her daughter's new wolf eyes for a second, but smiled at her. “Oh baby, no, it’s okay. Its okay, I don't care. I'm just glad you're safe.” She turned, however, to stare at Xander, worried. “What does this mean for her?”

“She's stronger now, faster... If a zombie bites her again she'll be sick and feverish for about a day. It'll break and clear up though and the bite will heal, she won't die.”

“So she's-” Rick spoke for the first time in a long while, “She's immune, to all of this?”

“All of the wolves are.”

“If you had come last night and bitten my son, he'd have been okay without the surgery, wouldn't he?”

Xander nodded. “Probably...the bite tends to take better with kids and teens. According to Talia, the other Alpha, every now and then a human's body will reject the bite and they'll die. It’s really rare though. Everyone I've bitten has lived.”

“How many is that?” Lori asked.

“As of right now? Eight people.”

“That's it?”

He shrugged. “I've only been a werewolf for a year. I don't just bite people for the heck of it. I don't bite them unless they want it.”

“Did you know she'd live when you bit her?” Daryl asked him.

“A month ago one of my people, who was still human, was bitten. So I bit her to save her, and it worked. Cordelia's alive and well and thriving.”

“They said we could stay with them,” Sophia whispered; she then cleared her throat and spoke louder, “Xander said we can stay with them...in our tents for now until they make more room in the house.”

“That's all well and good Alexander...but the boy, Carl, can't be moved right now. He needs a couple of days at least of bed rest,” Hershel reminded them.

“He in any pain?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Okay.” He looked around at them again. “So, am I leading you guys back to our farm or...?” He trailed off not knowing how to continue.

“If you'd give us time to discuss it and figure things out we'd appreciate it...but we do thank you for the offer and for all you and your people have done for us.” Rick reached out to shake his hand. “Thank you Mr. Harris.”

They shook. “You must be Rick, and please, it’s Xander. Maggie can lead you to the farm when you're ready.”

Sophia whined deep in her throat, the sound inhuman and startling. Xander smiled and ruffled her hair. “It’s not goodbye Sophia, we're close.” 

“Why did she do that?” Carol asked.

“Because she's already pack, and there's a bond between us all.”

Carol was quiet for moment before she nodded, coming to a decision. “No matter what, Sophia and I will be at your farm tonight. It sounds like she needs your people.”

“Whatever you decide ma'am.”

“It’s Carol.”

“Whatever you decide Carol.” He smiled at them and got back in the station wagon, leaving a trail of dust as he drove away.

Carol kept on holding Sophia tight, her eyes full of wonder and hope. “Do ya'll remember what Jim said before...before we left him?”

Shane frowned. “Jim said a lot of things Carol.”

“Find Alexander and his wolves,” Carol said, echoing the words Jim and told them. It felt like it had been ages ago. “They'll keep you all safe. The dead can't get you if you run with the wolves.”

“Holy shit.”

Rick couldn't have agreed with Daryl more.

xxx

“So, how did it go?” Buffy asked once he joined her in the garden.

“Okay I guess...no one shot me or accused me of corrupting a minor.”

“Always a plus. You regretting making that offer to Sophia?”

He shook his head and reached down to pull up a weed. “No...She’s one of mine. She's my responsibility, and if her people need shelter they're my responsibility too.”

Buffy eyed him from under the floppy white sun hat she'd picked up on one of their supply runs. “If I don't have to be responsible for the whole world Xander, neither do you.”

“Yeah, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for the whole world. And we can't be anymore...but I can be responsible for these people.”

“Where are we putting them? Even if Willow, Oz, Jordy, Rhonda, and Kyle move to the stable and tree house the house itself is full.”

“Sophia said they have tents, Talia thinks that will do for now.”

She fanned herself with her hat for a second before putting it back on. “I should have thought of that, we have tents too if they don't have enough.”

“They also have an RV that can be used for another look out point.” Buffy giggled and he stopped weeding to frown at her. “What part of that sentence was funny; point it out to me please because I missed it.”

“I was just picturing Willow getting her hands on an RV and converting it to solar power...at least partly.”

He snorted. “It would be like the van on 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids,’ except solar panels are much lighter and prettier these days.” That earned another giggle from Buffy. “I'm starting to think you've been in the sun too long.”

That earned him a handful of weeds with a dirt clod attached right to his face. “I've been here just ten minutes longer than you. Gather up the weeds I've pulled and give them to the chickens.”

“Yes Mom.” That earned him another dirt clod to the face, and he was still spitting out mud by the time he actually got the weeds to the chicken pen. Stiles and Derek were there peeking into the chicken house and whispering to each other. He gave the weeds to the birds, closed the pen door, and then slipped up behind the boys. “Do I even want to know what you two are up to?”

“One chicken is just sitting there; she won't get up and eat.” Derek complained. 

Stiles gave Xander worried whiskey eyes. “What if she's sick?”

Xander opened the door wider and stepped into the building to look at the hen they had been watching. He reached for her, a few blades of grass in his hand, she clucked at him before snatching up the offered treat. Carefully he nudged her to peek underneath her, smiled and then backed off before she could peck him.

“Well she's not sick...she's sitting on a whole bunch of eggs.”

“Will they hatch?” Stiles asked.

“If the rooster has been doing his job.”

“How many eggs were there?” Derek asked.

“I didn't count them Der; she's cranky and doesn't want to be bothered. I'm sure she'll get some food and water when she's ready. Now come on, let’s go find something else to do.”

He herded them out and they headed to the barn to check on the goats where Claudia found them and sent them out to the cornfield to check on the crop there and make sure the raccoons hadn't done too much damage. They were going to need that corn for the livestock, but Xander was fairly sure that by the time the three of them were done running through the corn no normal animal would want to set foot in the corn patch. Not with it smelling like werewolves.

xxx

“Seems kind of stupid to set up camp here just to move to another site tomorrow.” Daryl looked back at his brother's motorcycle; he hadn't bothered to unpack yet. None of them had.

“I meant what I said,” Carol had a bit of steel in her eyes that hadn't been there while her husband had been alive. “Sophia and I are going.”

“Lori and I are staying here for tonight, tomorrow night, how ever long Carl has to stay in that bed,” Rick told them. “But if you all want to go ahead and check things out that'd be fine.”

“Just a minute.” Dale held up a hand to stall their conversation. “I'm still processing the werewolf part of this.”

“One of them took my pain man,” T-Dog told him. “While Patricia was stitching me up, Rhonda just came in the kitchen put her hand on me and these black lines appeared on her veins and took the pain right out of me. I'm just now aching again, but not enough I need pain meds.”

“I can show you my wolf face,” Sophia told them. “Is that okay?”

“You don't have to do anything you don't want to honey.” Carol kissed the top of her head.

“Its okay, I don't mind.” Then her face changed, and they all watched in fascination. Her eyes became a brighter glowing blue, her mouth was full of sharp teeth, her ears were pointed, and sideburns graced the sides of her face. “It doesn't even hurt.”

Carol cupped Sophia's face in her hands. “Did it before?”

“I was sick last night and threw up a bunch of black stuff. Xander said it was my body fighting the sickness that the Walkers gave me.” She giggled. “He calls the Walkers, Zombies.”

“How many people are in their group?” Shane asked her, staring at her almost horrified.

She whimpered and her face went human again. “Six grownups, twelve kids older than me, and six kids younger than me.”

“She means twelve teenagers,” Hershel clarified. “Most of the teens are eighteen like Xander. Daniel is nineteen and Peter is seventeen. The youngest child, Seth, isn't even two yet.”

“And that boy, Xander,” Dale asked, “he's in charge?”

“He and the other Alpha, Talia Hale, co-rule their packs. I don't really understand the connection between them.”

“Talia bit Xander,” Sophia spoke up. “She made him a werewolf.”

“And he bit you?” Rick asked her.

Sophia nodded. “He killed the Walker that was chasing me with his bare hands, and then asked me if I wanted to live. I said yes.”

Shane finally managed to school his expression, after a few glares from the others. “Anyone would have said yes Sophia.”

Andrea nodded. “He's right, we all would have said yes.” Then she looked around at them. “We still need to decide what we're going to do. Stay here with Carl; go on to the wolves' farm? Split up?”

“We can split up for now...Daryl, you mind going with Sophia and her mom? The rest of us will follow in the new car and RV when we're ready.”

“Sure, ain't like we'll be in the next county. Can come back every day ta check in.”

“Can I go see Carl first?”

Rick and Lori shared a look, wondering if their son would be up to a visit from his friend. Hershel, however, made the decision for them; or at least he was the deciding factor. “I don't see why not, but he may be asleep, he had hard night.” He smiled at her gently. “I would, however, like to give you a check up.”

“For a baseline?” Sophia asked. “Xander talked about that on the way here.”

“That's right, that way I'll know what your vitals are when you're normal and healthy. I do that with all the wolves, with them it’s a learn as I go process. Though Talia has been helpful with that.”

“What do you mean?” Dale asked.

“Where they're from, Talia's family doctor, the one who looked after her children, was a vet too.”

xxx

After Hershel checked Sophia out Carol packed what was left of their belongings into her Cherokee and they followed Daryl on his bike over to the farm the wolves had claimed. The one lane back country road was peaceful and it was almost like all the horrors of the world hadn't yet touched this place. It was a lie, of course, but it was a pretty lie.

When they got to the gate at the end of the drive that led to the wolves farm Daryl pulled over to the side and got off his bike and opened the gate. Carol pulled up and through the gate before he followed on the bike and then getting off again to latch the gate behind them. He took the lead again down the long drive, it was just as long as Hershel's had been, and Carol saw the logic in being so far from the road...though the farms had probably been out here far longer than the road itself.

When she saw the farm they were going to call home she felt her jaw drop and heard a gasp leave her lips, “Oh my.”

There were fences everywhere...the tall chain link one around the house and large yard was especially impressive. It contained the house, an old van, several trees including one with a large tree house in the backyard, and she could just see a few more vehicles in the backyard. The front of the fence had a small gate for people to walk through and she wondered how they got their vehicles in and out. Then two people, teens really, went to the far right and slid a large section of the fence over revealing a large gate for them to drive through.

Daryl swung his bike around and pulled in past the teens, girls, one blond one brunette, before Carol followed and they pulled up by the van and parked. Sophia was out first, already smiling and relaxed, and Carol felt her heart sing. She couldn't remember when her little girl had been so happy and carefree. They joined Daryl next to his bike, waiting for the girls to latch the sliding gate and make their way to them.

The brunette looked to be just a little taller than her, while the blonde was shorter by about two inches. Both, however, looked very capable and armed to the teeth, guns in holsters on their hips, bows on their backs. Carol had a feeling they had more weapons hidden on them though she couldn't see them.

“Glad to see you came back Sophia,” The blonde spoke to her daughter with a smile.

“Thanks Buffy. Mommy, Mr. Daryl, this is Buffy and Faith.”

Carol shook hands with the girls, while Daryl was quiet, watchful. Faith snorted at his behavior and started to walk away leaving Buffy behind. “Well that's nice and awkward, thanks Faith.” Faith gave a wave and kept walking. “I'll show you where you can set up your tents for now...you won't get to meet everyone just yet because a few of us have gone on a run. Not sure when they'll be back.” Before Buffy could say anything else there was a shriek from the backyard and Daryl took off running for it. “Wait! It’s fine!” Buffy called after him, but he didn't stop, so she took off after him, and Carol and Sophia followed her.

They got around the corner of the house to see a group of kids with water guns, all shooting at a big brown dog. Daryl had his crossbow aimed, hands steady. “What the hell is this?”

Buffy put herself between that arrow and the group playing. “It started out as a water gun fight...I think it devolved into an everyone gang up on Xander fight.”

“You friend named his dog after himself?” Carol asked, confused.

“That ain't no dog,” Daryl said, voice hard. “That's a damn wolf.”

Buffy frowned, looking confused. “I thought you guys got the whole werewolf talk.” She eyed Sophia. “He explained that right?” Sophia nodded. “That's not just any wolf, that's Xander, in his alpha-form. Alpha's can do that, go completely wolfy.”

“Can I go play?” Sophia asked, looking up at Carol hopefully, and Carol couldn't say no. Daryl only lowered his crossbow when Sophia joined the other kids, one of the teens watching from the back porch tossed her a water pistol, and they all watched.

Carol was still trying to process that the huge brown wolf was the boy they met a couple of hours ago. He was running in circles and bumping into each child as they continued to soak him with their water toys. All of them shrieking in delight when they were bumped or licked. Carol couldn't help the giggle that escaped her and Buffy grinned.

“Sophia will be fine for a while if you want help getting your tent set up.”

Daryl looked at her skeptically. “Do you even know how to set up a tent?”

Buffy raised a brow at him. “While we were on the road Mom and I set up our own tent without any help...well after Elden showed us how.”

“Your daddy didn't help?”

Buffy frowned. “When the world ended my dad was somewhere in Spain with wife 2.0 and her brand new boobs.”

Daryl nodded at that. “Sorry.”

The girl shrugged. “His loss, if he'd stuck around he'd probably be alive.” She turned to look toward the porch. “What do you think Jonathan? Front yard or backyard?”

The short teen, who had tossed Sophia a water gun, looked puzzled. “Talia said the first cabin was going in the backyard.”

“I meant the tents for Sophia's people.”

“Oh. Front yard I guess, since Heidi and Peter want their little love shack in the backyard.”

“Front yard it is.” Buffy turned back to Carol and Daryl. “We'll put you under the trees so you'll have shade. Come on.” She led them back around front and helped them get their tents out of Carol's Cherokee. Daryl took his and started to set it up as far from the house as possible and still be in the shade. Buffy watched him for a moment. “Not very social is he?”

“I think he's just not used to people is all.” Then she eyed Buffy in surprise as she lugged the entire tent in its wrapping to the tree closest to the house. “Oh...are you a werewolf too?”

Buffy shook her head. “No, I'm something different.”

Carol nodded, accepting that Buffy wasn't ready to explain what that meant, and the two of them worked steadily on her and Sophia's tent. It wasn't the same one they'd shared with Ed, that one had been destroyed in the attack on the Quarry Camp. This one had belonged to an elderly couple who'd died that night. They'd been sweet and had given all the children in camp the little bit of candy they'd had. Carol didn't think they'd mind that their tent and supplies were being used to shelter her and Sophia.

“It’s a nice tent.” Buffy told her once they had it set to rights.

“It belonged to some friends.”

At the tone of her voice Buffy gave her sad eyes. “They didn't make it?” Carol shook her head. “Sorry. You need help with the rest of it?”

“Thank you, I can manage with the mats and sleeping bags.”

“Do you need lamp oil or an extra lantern? We also have some rechargeable solar lanterns.”

“That would be wonderful.”

Buffy grinned. “I'll get you one, and I'll let you know when Mom and Oz are done fixing lunch.”

“Oz?” It was an odd name and gave Carol pause.

“Daniel Osborne. But we call him Oz.”

“Oh, I'll be glad to meet them.”

Buffy left her alone then and Carol unpacked their sleeping mats, sleeping bags, and what was left of their supplies. The sound of the children laughing in the backyard was like a surreal soundtrack from life before the world had gone to hell. At least it was peaceful.

 

Daryl had finished setting up his tent and supplies before she had, and had climbed up on top of the van to keep watch. It irked him that no one had bothered to do so. Not an hour later the front door of the house opened and a man about her age stepped out and looked at them. Carol wondered if this was the Elden Buffy had mentioned.

“Lunch is ready, if the two of you are hungry.” His voice, cultured and English, startled her and made her heart hurt. He was farther from home than anyone she'd met so far. “Joyce sent me to fetch you.”

“Someone’s gotta keep watch,” Daryl told him.

“Oh, Faith took over from Kyle some time ago. She's in the tree house.” He smiled at them. “We're not complete fools here; we always have someone on watch. I'll be taking over for Faith when her shift is over.”

Daryl seemed satisfied with that and came off the van. “Good to know.” 

They approached the man together and he held out his hand. “Rupert Giles, and as the children do, you may call me Giles.”

Carol took his hand first. “Carol Peletier.”

“Ah, Sophia's mother. It’s good to meet you.” He turned to shake Daryl's hand, but Daryl didn't offer.

“Daryl Dixon.”

Giles pulled his hand back. “Pleasure. Lunch is in the kitchen.” He opened the door and held it open for them and the three of them went inside; following him through the living room, dining room, and finally to the kitchen. There a blonde woman was holding a platter of food high above Buffy's head, taking it to the table, and not letting the teen steal any before the rest of the group joined them.

“Mom!”

“You'll have to wait Buffy.” Buffy huffed and then blushed when she noticed they weren't alone. “Go call the others in, tell them lunch is ready and tell them to dry off.”

“Fine.” She left to do as she was told, going down the hall to the back door. “Food's ready. Everyone dry off before you eat!--Xander no!” There was a crash and then the sound of claws skidding on hard floor before the large wolf slid into view and peeked into the kitchen. His tongue was lolling out, his fur soaking wet, and he twitched like he was about to shake all that water off.

Joyce glared at him. “Alexander LaVelle Harris, don't you dare! Go change back and dry off.” The wolf huffed, dropped his head and whined at her pitifully, but Joyce held strong. “You might be my alpha, but right now I'm in charge of this kitchen. So my rules.” 

He gave a great sigh and slunk out of the kitchen toward the living room where they heard a rustling sound. Then he reappeared with a pair of jeans between his teeth and they heard a door shut down the hall. A few minutes later Xander reappeared as he'd met them that morning, sans shirt, with a towel over his head as he dried his hair. He peeked out from the towel and pouted at Joyce. “Is there a no shoes, no shirt policy in this kitchen?”

Joyce smiled. “I suppose your attire is good enough, if you put the towel away.”

“Will do.” He disappeared again, only to reappear without the towel and took a seat at the table. Buffy trooped in after him, glaring, with dark wet splotches on her shirt and jeans.

“I can't believe you ran into me like that.”

“I didn't mean too Buff, I didn't have any traction.”

“You realize I'll have to change before I eat since I now smell like wet dog.”

“I apologized!”

“Licking my face while all wolfy is not an apology.”

Xander continued to pout and Carol held back a snicker, even Daryl was smirking. Coming to this farm was probably the best decision they'd made so far.

XXX


End file.
